Mononoke and Youkai
by Jennie Arnold
Summary: Two forces have been at war for as long as Time can remember: Spirit and Demon. A teenage girl in the modern day world is drawn into their war by a book with more power than she can understand. Can Ashitaka and San teach her to see with eyes unclouded?
1. Chapter 1

20

**The Youkai and the Mononoke**

The mononoke youkai traveled to the west to find the vortex were North meets South. The card lay with its front open to reveal the riddle that formed icily within the center of the painted paper. Flakes of purely white frost covered the corners of the picture as the lines of poetic verse moved up to reveal the rest of the new clues in short order. The iron hand was clenched as the mononoke's eyes turned to fire. The page moved to prevent memorization. All the mononokes knew that the cards held their secrets greedily – to avoid the eyes of men was their specialty. Yet, here stood a mononoke with the skills of generations in his bones and the secrets of time in his palm – None were obtainable… The card's image moved too fast to reveal even the tinniest spark of a secret. The magic engrained within these secrets would have to start again…

It was a warm Tuesday in March when the second of the five pages would be found. Every Youkai cringes to admit that the book of pages was not found by one of their kind. Strangely, the girl who found it had not idea that today would be different than any other Tuesday. She did not know that looking at an image and solving a short riddle would change the course of time and redirect the flow of her life forever.

Chapter One

"What is this?" A short, dark-haired girl asked as she looked down at her locker partner inquisitively and removed the brightly painted piece of paper.

"How should I know?" Asked the blond-haired girl that stood above the shorter girl. The blond shrugged and turned to leave for her next class, leaving the other girl to study the piece of paper.

The sheet was decorated with pictures and beautiful calligraphied text. Both the images and the words began to move as the girl stared at it. Her eyes never left the page as her heart raced and her interest peaked. A few of the other students in the hall stopped to glance over her shoulder but they quickly lost interest. The girl was on her own to ponder this strange paper before her. The girl's mind was moving at a mile a minute when a flash caught her eye. Three girls were running from the gym and down the hall.

"Hurry, Sakura! You don't want to be marked late again," one of the girls shouted back to her in a desperate attempt to warn the girl while running herself.

The dark-haired girl nodded but continued to stare at the picture without moving a muscle. She really couldn't take her eyes off of it – The pictures and the words around the edge both moved at an alarming rate.

"It's like a story," Sakura whispered in a breathy voice as her voice caught in the excitement. She was about to record the images with the camera on her lime green cell phone when the bell for class chimed. Sakura jumped up and ran to the math room.

"Late again, Miss Pilletera? This is the second time this week." The tall math teacher spoke in deep tones that did not seem to match his thin body. The man's back was ridged and his chest was puffed. His overwhelming forbearance intimidated most students. Sakura was one of those intimidated students. Still, she did her best not to let the nervousness show in her face or voice.

"It won't happen again, Mr. Gravvy."

"Be sure that it doesn't," he ordered in his deep tone. "I would hate to send a student to detention for such a minor offense."

Sakura quickly found her seat and took out her notes. Her hand was inches away from the pocket that held the mysterious paper and the cell phone that was strategically placed to record the constant movement. Sakura felt like it took all her strength to ignore the call of her inquisitive nature and gaze within the pocket. She could not afford to get distracted by anything in Gavvy's class.

He was not always a mean teacher but he would not tolerate even working on another class' assignments in his course classroom. To him, failure to work on his specific assignments meant one thing – that he did not give out enough assignments. If he saw one student working on another class' work, the whole class would get pages and pages of more homework. Sakura knew that if he saw her reach into her bag (even if it was only to bring out a sheet of paper) Mr. Gravvy would send whatever she took out to the office and give her more homework than she could imagine.

_Avoid looking at the images now and you can see it for hours after class, _Sakura reasoned with herself. She tried to imagine what would happen in the story that was forming on the paper. The last time she had looked, she had only seen a few seconds of movements and it looked like the man in green (Sakura had named him Robin because he reminded her of Robin Hood) had been about to charge at a moving purple spot that had been immerging from the opposite corner. Sakura began to imagine the purple blob turning into a monstrous dragon that the heroic Robin had to defeat to defend his village… but this dragon was not a normal, fire-breathing dragon. It was a riddle dragon! Sakura was trying to come up with a riddle that was hard enough to stump Robin when her joyful reverie was interrupted by Mr. Gravvy's deep voice.

"Sakura, why don't you show your classmates how to complete number thirty-seven on the white board." Mr. Gravvy said it as a command, not a question.

"I'm not sure I did it right," Sakura answered with the hush of a confession.

"You would be sure if you were paying attention and listening." He paused to let the words sink in and quickly continued. "Garret, would you please repeat the answer to the class for those who were not listening."

Garret flipped through a notebook until he found the answer he was looking for. "Three hundred seventy times pi," he answered in a loud voice that boomed against the walls for a full minute.

Sakura felt her face go red with embarrassment. _He must think I am either depth or so stupid that I cannot even understand a simple numerical answer…_Each step Sakura took toward the blackboard made her face turn a darker shade of red as she continued to think of all the eyes following her. She moved her hand towards the chalk and began to write out the problem in handwriting that was swirling and sharp at the same time. She underlined the answer that matched the numbers Garret had read off after taking up half the white board to show her work. Sakura breathed a sigh of relief that the whole thing was done and quickly turned and walked back to her desk.

"Obviously, Miss Pilletera got the right answer," Mr. Gravvy smiled at Sakura as he turned to the class and continued. "Can anyone tell me what Sakura did wrong?" Sakura's face went blank as the class fell silent. "Does anyone see where she made her mistake?"

"She did get the correct answer…" began Sue as three other girls in the front row nodded with confused expressions.

"She got it right out of luck. Look at her original work and tell me where she messed up," commanded the teacher in the stern voice that always seemed to make Sakura's blood boil over in her veins.

Sakura saw Mr. Gavvy flip through his teacher's edition textbook. Who was he to call her out when he did not know the answer himself? Sakura watched the seconds tick away slowly before Garret moved to the front of the classroom and began to erase her work to replace it with his. He seemed to redo her problem in record time. Sakura struggled to hide her amazement.

_Just survive for another fifteen minutes – then you can go home, get away from Mr. Gravvy and watch that video for the phone, _she tried to comfort herself with this thought even though the world seemed to be trying to get on her nerves all day. It seemed to take an eternity for the bell to ring. Sakura knew that she had been waiting for the bell to chime for longer than fifteen minutes… She began to loose hope and leaned over her math paper when the bell finally sounded. She grabbed her books, crammed them into her backpack and ran to the door. One thought rang supreme in her mind: she could finally watch that video! She smiled happily until Mr. Gravvy stopped her.

"Sakura, I need to speak with you." Sakura hesitantly turned to her teacher as if he were speaking a foreign language with a purple tongue. Weather he noticed her strange look or not, he continued. "You are a smart girl and a good student but you seem to struggle with math. I would be able to offer you some extra credit if you simply join the math club."

Sakura nodded her head in thanks and smiles. Her math grade isn't that bad, maybe a C minus at the lowest but Sakura also knows that she parents want her math grade to be closer to be B. So, even though she really just wanted to leave, she decided to avoid the long talk that her parents would have to have with her and turned to her teacher again. "When does the club meet?"

"The club cannot meet often. Most of the club members are also part of the chess and geography clubs. We meet the second Tuesday of each month."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief – the club only met once a month. That left plenty of time for all of her hobbies. The less time she spent on math the better! Even better still, today was a Friday. Sakura could go home and watch her video. Without a second thought, Sakura got on the bus.

Her neighbor, Rosa smiled at her when Sakura moved to sit down on the seat next to her. "Ready for the weekend?"

The girls talked about their plans and gossiped about their other neighbors until the bus stopped on their street. They were always the last to get on and the first to get off.

"Mr. Gravvy may be a grumpy teacher but at least he never gives homework over the weekend," Sakura confided in her neighbor.

"Well, enjoy your weekend without any math!" Rosa and Sakura waved goodbye as they crossed the streets to their homes. Rosa's mother opened the door and hugged her daughter every afternoon… Sakura's family was different. There was no mother in the doorway. The driveway was so empty that the lack of substance opened a void in the pit of her stomach. _Dad_'s _still_ _at the office, _she thought to herself. "Lets go see where Mom went off to…"Sakura's thoughts became words.

She opened the door and walked into the kitchen. A pink post-it was taped to the refrigerator. Sakura leaned forward to read it:

Hon –

_Had to go get _

_Grandpa's tickets. See you_

_Around six o'clock._

_Love,_

_Mom_

Sakura's mother's notes were always the same: "Had to get this or that… See you around six." It always seemed to be from about 3 o'clock to six. Why did it always seem to take three hours to get a prescription, or a few last minute dinner items?

Sakura had asked her mother that question years ago – about the time she had gotten old enough to realize that most people did not need three hours to run simple errands. "I can walk the three blocks to the store faster than that," the child Sakura had bragged.

"I try to optimize my time outside of the house by running all my errands at once."

"Why does the note just list one errand?"

"I don't always know all the errands I will need to run so I just put down first one. I don't want to bore everyone with the list of errands I need to run plus… It just takes too much time to write it all down." Her mother believed that she had provided a good answer for the child and she quickly walked away.

The whole thing seemed secretive. Anyone could tell that the statement was a lie. She seemed to say it as a second thought – like it was never really in her head or in her heart – like the truth was that she wanted to avoid Sakura at all costs. None of that really bothered Sakura because she continually gave herself new things to do. If her hands were moving, her mind never seemed to dwell on any of the sorrowful things that threatened to consume her. She was able to keep her mind off the bad things by keeping them on the flavor of the week or month.

But now… Now she had something real. It constantly changed and moved her interest in it could last forever. Sakura ran to the seclusion of her room, locked the door and carefully took out the phone and the paper. The image was still moving and she did not want to miss a thing! Sakura quickly switched on her web cam to record as much as possible. Not one moment of the paper's movement would be lost now. Every millisecond would be her's to see and to decipher. It was like a giant puzzle that beckoned for her to find a solution. She smiled to herself as she pressed the "play" button.

Sakura's breath came in shallow gulps and gasps. It seemed like she could never really get enough air but the adrenaline that flowed through her veins hid the fact from her exhausted body. She couldn't breathe because she could not believe what she was seeing. A map of strange words appeared in the background as words moved up the surface of the paper as if it was a TV.

**Little One**

**Little One**

**Come See**

**The Truth that Rests Against**

**Your Party:**

**The Ruler went Down**

**Because he couldn't remember**

**To never let go of his Hand**

**Or his shiny Saber.**

**They both dropped with a clang**

**The sound made the wind shake**

**He knew he was to Blame**

**He waited in the sun and Baked**

**To show his followers that he would do the same**

**Without Saber or Hand…**

She went on to read about the Emperor who could not loose even though he had nothing. No sword, no honor, or even a group of followers. The people had abandoned him when he humiliated himself by loosing the saber and hand. Usually, the saber is any ruler's greatest, most coveted possession. This Emperor is not so different from the other rulers. The saber had been passed down to him from generations past. Oil paintings adorned the walls and each painting held not only a past emperor but also a jeweled saber – the same saber that this young emperor had just lost. Servants whispered that he was too young and naive to sit upon the throne as ruler.

The young ruler did all he could to stop these rumors of course. He started by killing the man who was spreading the rumors: the distinguished captain of the guard – The image that accompanied this section was so realistic and violent that Sakura actually had to close her eyes. All the pictures were drawn in a hieroglyphic style but they still seemed realistic in a way that was hard to explain. It was like those cartoons of people with purple faces drinking blood: It is obvious that the people in the images are not real but it still seems too gross and it sickens everyone who sees it. Sakura could not help but be slightly nauseous but curiosity drove her to want to see more. She cautiously cracked open her eyes.

New words were appearing but they continued to tell the story of the fictional emperor who had lost his prized saber. The young, implosive ruler turned into a good, just emperor. The land began to prosper, as everything the emperor touched seemed to. He was truly blessed and his blessing seemed to transfer to the land he ruled. The empire's treasury seemed to grow as treaties were signed and warriors were brought home. The common people rejoiced as the emperor's luck seemed to rub off on everyone who was near him. Everyone quickly forgot the whole ordeal with the saber and the violent mistakes the emperor had made in his youth. Unfortunately, the emperor's luck was about to run out.

The Empress had recently announced that she was with child and all the kingdoms in the empire were still rejoicing the good fortune. They feasted even as the Empress labored, believing that the prophecy that the wise woman read from the stones would be true and that the emperor would soon have a son as an heir for the land. No one would have guessed what would really happen next: The Empress died giving birth to the child and the little boy was too weak to even eat. The baby boy did not live a day. The emperor found himself alone and angry once more.

Sakura had to stop at this point because her eyes filled with tears. She paused the cell phone video there and began to unpack her school bag and place her things on her desk. Sakura sat down to do the homework Gavvy had given her but she did not get far when a noise came from outside. She jumped when she heard a car door slam. Her mother was home. It must be six…

Sakura walked down to the kitchen. Her mother usually comes home carrying an armful of groceries. The door squeaked open as Sakura's mother, Ann walked into the room. Once again, her arms were full of over flowing grocery bags. The bags fell over as Ann set them on the counter. Sakura moved to pick them up and her mother seemed to actually notice that she was there.

"How was school, Sakura?"

"It was OK," she tried to explain. "I got a new project."

"A real project or one of your fake ones?"

Sakura blushed with embarrassment. "None of them are fake," she mumbled.

"Speak up, Sakura!"

"It is not a school project yet." Ann looked at Sakura suspiciously with thousands of questions in her eyes. "I'm going to use it for my video assignment in Communications class," Sakura tried to explain further but her mother seemed to be preoccupied.

"Oh, what a good idea. You should try to use all your projects in your schoolwork. It will be easier for you to get into college. That way, you won't have to do so many extra assignments." Sakura nodded, not trusting herself to speak. Her mother just didn't understand her. She hated these forced conversations and had to stop herself from breathing a sigh of relief when her father walked in.

"How was work, dear?" Ann asked her husband.

"What a day!" Brad started. "Osmann sent me seven emails in one hour because he needed help with pricing. He should have been done with that project weeks ago!"

Brad was the head of a large financing firm. His company handled the finances and savings of dozens of other companies. The companies paid Brad a lot of money to save them even more money. Sakura knew that her father tried to make it sound more complicated than that but money for money was basically what his company boiled down to. She zoned out as her father continued to explain how three of his employees could not write a simple excel presentation for a perspective client. What would the emperor do to get away from this? He had been through so much more than her and had survived more than any other person she had even heard of…

"Sakura, help me finish making dinner," Ann ordered.

"What are we making?"

"Lasagna. It's your father's favorite and he has had a hard day."

Sakura and her mother moved to the stove and began to make the rich pasta. Sakura boiled water and chopped up the cheese while Ann prepared the meat and added spices to sauces. Ann hummed while she worked because she hated silence. Sakura used the time to think. He had a far away look in her eyes that could only be matched in severity to her mother's look of concentration.

The lasagna was made in what seemed like seconds to Sakura. Still, Brad breathed a sighed "finally" when Ann announced that dinner was ready. Brad always wanted things to be done on a moment's notice. He wants things now, if not sooner.

Sakura found the habit annoying but her mother chastised her:

"At least your father channels what would otherwise be an annoyance to make him a great businessman." Sakura always had to sigh in defeat when her mother said this. She was right: the habit did give him an edge but that did not make it any less annoying when he was at home.

Both her parents, like the king, seemed to prosper at everything that they did. They both made money at the jobs they had chosen even though they had both taken "the road less traveled" in their careers. Brad owned his own business even though he could have made just as much money in an average financial adviser position without having to spend so much time at the office. Her mother ran a business online. Her business sent package all over the world and was very popular in Asia. Sakura admired her parents' courage and determination but she never wanted to be like them.

Sure, they were successful but they seemed to be disconnected from the rest of the world. Sakura doubted that either one of her parents could say the name of the current president or even Sakura's school because neither one of them knew it. Brad could list the current balances of all his clients' accounts and Ann could list all the shipping methods available on her site… Sakura's parents could have wonderful memories when they wanted to but they were so busy remembering the things that they needed to know for work that they never seemed to stop and think about remembering the things that mattered to Sakura.

Sakura tried to push these memories away as she and her parents ate. Maybe I'm the one messing things up, thought Sakura. Maybe things would be better if I acted like they were better. I need to stop expecting the worst in people… Especially my parents:

She thought back to when she was five. Sakura's parents had taken her to the beach that year. It was just the three of them and she had loved the trip for one reason: Her parents were her's and her's alone. They did not go into work or check their emails. Sakura could tell that they liked it too: They smiled constantly and actually laughed every now and then – which they NEVER did at home. It seemed like it had literally been years since they smiled.

Sakura tried to push all her memories away… They seemed too painful now. That was why Sakura always had some kind of project because she always needed some kind of distraction. The thought of discovering something new and enveloping her mind into something whole-heartedly brought her comfort. So, she thought of that now. Sakura thought of her cards and the video that awaited her in her room. A cold feeling traveled down in tingling back. Anxiousness rose up inside of her because she wanted nothing more than to watch the rest. She could not hold the mix of joy and worry inside of her for long. Sakura quickly excused herself and ran upstairs to her room.

Chapter Two

Sakura excused herself from the table, anxiously running to her room. She was enthralled in the story of the cards but she did not think that it was real. Sakura had the cards in front of her but she could not appreciate it because she did not believe that it was true. Diejed knew that the story was true because he lived in the world they described but he did not have the cards. He did not have what he had wanted so badly but not for lack of trying. Diejed was a youkai and his reason for living was to find the cards and make them give him more power. Diejed knew that the cards could also be used to bring others down – they bent to the will of whoever held them. Still, Diejed was not afraid because he had plans.

Diejed knew that one man could be in power at a time. If more than one man took the throne, then they all fought each other in vain. Nothing could happen because the two were fighting each other. The common people would grow restless and exile the king that was left alive. The fact that the ruler was selfish enough to fight for more power while the poor got poorer still told the commoners that the risk of getting exiled themselves was worth getting the man off the throne.

Diejed knew that the only way to keep the common people in check was to rule with fear and in solitude. The people had to know that the punishments would be severe if they made any move against the ruler. Diejed would rule with anger, fear, and war. War kept the nobles, leading generals, and warriors busy. Anyone who could over throw him with influence would be too busy chasing an unknown enemy. Diejed knew that ruling could not be that easy – if it was no one would have been exiled. The hardest thing, would be finding an "unknown" enemy and Diejed knew just where to find them…

In another dimension there is a place called Earth and on that planet live mortal humans who delight in conquering new things with strange and powerful weapons. All Diejed would have to do to earn the military's attention would be to show how much destruction and death this one invention caused. The generals would beg to go and protect their families from this new threat. It would be a long war to distract everyone but in the end, Diejed was convinced that the mononoke kingdom would win. The mortals had weapons of mass destruction but the mononokes had magic and auroras. Diejed knew that the humans could be beaten and he did not see the humans as a threat. The war was not really about beating them. The Shuna Nature Spirits would come out to save the dieing world and Diejed would delight in killing not only the Earthlings but the Shuna as well.

The Shuna Nature Spirits have been a constant bother. They stole the Emperor's Saber centuries ago and almost caused the destruction of the most prosperous empire in the whole mononoke dimension. The Great Empower fell when his Saber was stolen and different groups of rulers began to rule. The idea was that the groups of rulers could have different ideas that would lead to a rebirth of the empire. Unfortunately, the different ideas lead to war instead of to prosperity. The king had left specific instructions in the form of the cards but the first new rulers hid the cards, believing that the people could not rise up. The loss of the cards did not stop the mononokes from exiling the rulers. Now, all the different spirits and mononokes are at war. Mononokes even turned on each other.

A vote was taken centuries ago that still effects the lives of all the dimensions today. Most mononokes were content to watch the nobles take over after the emperor had past. Others, like Diejed, voted that the mononoke should take over and that the spirits who started this trouble should face the consequences. The mononoke separated and the mononoke who refused to sway from the majority vote began to call the others youkai. Diejed detest the new name at first but it became a thing of pride: he was now a youkai and soon all the youkais would raise again and the day that they had dreamed of for centuries would be here sooner still.

All Diejed needed to do was get to the mortal dimension and take the cards from an unknowing mortal human. A young girl had unknowingly called them to her. Diejed did not believe that she could possibly be the one the prophesies of Old spoke of (no mortal could ever hold such power) but still, the cards would not just come to anyone. This girl would have to be handled with delicately.

"What is needed, Master?" Asked a raspy voice from the corner of the room. It was Aspon, Diejed's unabsorbed humanistic conscience.

"The only thing that I need is your silence! I need to think." Why did Aspon even need to ask? Even though the conscience was unabsorbed, the two of them could still share thoughts.

"Are you going to kill her like you killed all those others?" A note of dread could not be hidden from Aspon's voice.

Diejed ignored most of Aspon's questions but this suggestion was worth considering. The tall mononoke turned youkai sat and thought for a moment (delicacy was not one of Diejed's strong points). The girl could not know about dimensions or the box travel that allowed Diejed to move between them. The best thing to do would be to sneak in and take it without the girl knowing. He could not risk having to kill her – she may become useful in the near future; especially with the impending war with the Shuna Spirits… This human could be quite useful indeed.

**Chapter Three**

Sakura was out of breath by the time she made it to her bedroom door. She did not have to travel far to get from the kitchen to the bedroom but she had run the entire way. "Yes," she breathed as she saw that the cell phone had not lost its' place as sometimes happed when she put it in her pocket. She looked to her webcam to make sure that the movement of the pictures was still being recorded. She made sure that everything was at the correct angle and quickly moved back to the cell phone. The image that was displayed on the screen stilled showed the sorrowful scene of the Empress' death. Remembering the story thus far, Sakura took a deep breath and pressed play.

The Emperor went into hiding, refusing to see anyone. His grief ruled him and he seemed to throw himself in this grief. He wanted something to control him because he did not have the heart to do anything. The servants and noblemen tried their best to coax him out of the room where he had imprisoned himself. They pleaded and bribed but nothing worked the emperor refused to come out into the real world. The advisors and other men that he had practically grown up with came to coax him out but it seemed to only make him go deeper into himself.

After months the empire came out and addressed his people. The commoners assumed that the ruler would announce that the time of mourning was over and that it was time to move on even though the people who had been lost would never to forgotten. Margaret saw the images change from bluish black to a yellow gold. She knew that the events that were taking place on the paper were only in the people's minds. All eyes watched the emperor but no one's ears were prepared to hear what the ruler would say.

"My people," he began, "we have been through a time of great tragedy but now is the time for healing." The crowd gave off a great sigh of relief. They assumed that all the trouble of the previous weeks would soon be over. "The empire cannot heal with me on the throne because I will never heal. Therefore, I have decided to resign from my position. I could not leave my throne to a son but I will give my predecessor the best noble fatherly advise I can." The emperor paused to hold up the paper (Margaret could see that it was identical to the paper that she was holding in her hand) and continued his speech. "This paper holds all that I have learned about being a great ruler in all my years on the throne."

Margaret wanted nothing more than to continue reading and watching her film but a loud boom startled her so much that she actually stood without bothering to press the pause button. The lamp shook and the vases fell off the shelves along with books and papers. The noise was so great that the whole house shook. Sakura was certain that the county had walked into an earthquake. She ran to the doorway – was where you stood during a storm, right? Sakura's mind was so muddled that she did not know what to do! The ground seemed to shake harder and harder as the seconds ticked on. This could not be a normal quake! Sakura was so terrified and confused that she could hold it in no longer: she opened her mouth and let out the loudest scream she could, pulling all of her pent up emotion into it.

As soon as she finished screaming, the earthquake seemed to stop. Sakura was about to breath a sigh of relief when a strange voice caused her even more alarm. "You're quite the screamer…Not something I expected from the one who holds the cards."

Sakura just looked at the speaker; a tall man with big eyes and dark hair that waved all the way to his shoulders. She tried to back away from him slowly but the man had other plans. His fingers were spiking swords as they reached out to grab Sakura. She was so scared that her brain froze. She had survived an earthquake but now an insane man with the uncanny ability to appear out of nowhere was on her. Sakura knew that she could only test this kind of fate once and her chances were running out. Pure survival instinct kicked in. Sakura did the only thing that she could think to do: She ran…

"Get away from me!" She yelled as she ran with all her might.

The strange man below her laughed. "Do you really think that it is you that I want?" His strange hand seemed to grow and stretch forward. He could reach the door of Sakura's room without even moving his feet. Sakura's sprint of a run screeched to a halt. Still, his hand grew further… The hand was in Sakura's room now. She dove forward to close the door on the still-growing fingers but the owner of the hand saw her coming. He simply "nudged" her mid-leap. Sakura ended up landing on the wall with a loud thud. The man didn't seem to notice her cry of pain as she hit the side. He just kept letting his hand grow. It was in her room and the large fingers seemed to be delicately moving her things around. _Why doesn't he just destroy it?_ Sakura asked herself. _He's looking for something!_

"What do you want?" The man with the stretched hand ignored her question. "Whatever it is, I'll get it for you. Just stop!" Sakura said these things as if she were issuing an order but both she and the man knew who was in charge and they both knew that it was not Sakura. "Please!" She yelled in a final attempt.

The man paid her no mind… His hand had finally found what he was looking for. The man never answered because his maniacal laugh filled the air and made the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck rise. "Yes!" He yelled. "I have it!" Sakura was too shocked and confused to do anything. Her heart almost stopped when a flash of burning light filled the room. She focused all her will power on going against nature and not closing her eyes. Unfortunately, fighting instinct is a loosing battle. Sakura let her eyes close when the pain of the light was too much. When she opened them, the man and her new project was gone.

Some people may have been disheartened but Sakura remembered one important thing: she still had the video! She raced into the now empty and disheveled room. Paper and broken glass littered the floor and covered the ripped sheets of her bed and the open and cracked computer. She sighed, knowing that her webcam was lost. Sakura waded around in the mess, searching for her phone. It was the only recording left and it was invaluable even though it was a partial recording.

Sakura continued to dig through the debris hurriedly when she heard a low moan behind her. Sakura turned so quickly that her long dark hair hit her in the face. Through the hair, Sakura saw her mother crawling into the doorway. "Mom!" Sakura called as she ran towards the hurt woman. "What happened?"

"I was in the garage putting the last of the things away when the whole place started to shake. I ran in side to find your father but something fell before I could get to the bedroom…" Her mother trailed off there. Sakura's first thought was to make sure that her father was alright. She ran to her parent's bedroom and was surprised to find that the bed was still made. Sakura turned back to her mother.

"No one is there. The bed is still made and everything." Sakura waited a moment for her mother to answer but no explanation came. She had been patient for so long that these last few minutes seemed like the last straw. She could not hold all her questions in and wait patiently for the proper time anymore. "Where's Dad? Why were you in the garage? What is REALLY going on?" All the questions poured out of her like a warm torrent but she suddenly went cold when her mother gave her answer.

"I could be asking you those very same questions. Who was that man and why did the ground really shake?"

Sakura stopped cold and looked at her mother in disgust. She turned back to the bedroom. With her back to her mother, Sakura said, "You can't blame this on me! You have been keeping secrets and I just wanted to keep my mind on other things!" Sakura had never been angrier than she was now. The words that she had just spoken needed to come out of her and now that they had she saw that her mother needed some type of answer to find her father.

"The video project I was doing involved some pieces of paper with moving pictures and words. The man took those when he came."

Ann gasped in surprise. "How big were these pieces of paper?"

Sakura held out her hands to show that the paper was about half a computer sheet in length. Ann let out a shocked, gargled breath. Sakura looked at her mother with a questioning stare but the stirring questions that pulled Sakura's thoughts in all directions would have to wait. Sakura turned to see what her mother was staring at with such large eyes. As she turned, a black flash suddenly appeared at Sakura's side. Its movements were too fast for Sakura to even react. She was knocked down almost before her brain could register what just happened.

The black monster made its way to Ann with the same speed it had attacked Sakura. The monster quickly knocked Ann down but instead of moving on, the monster placed its gigantic paw on Ann's throat. Sakura struggled to get up and stop the monster from hurting her mother but the world was still spinning from the blow to her head. A bump was already forming and a few rips were cracked from the earlier battle with the stretching handed man.

"Run," Ann managed to choke out even as the monster put more pressure on her neck. "Go," the older woman said more urgently. Now not even a breath could escape Ann's mouth. The monster was putting all his weight on her throat. Sakura tried again to get up. Her mother needed help desperately. She could not do without air for much longer. Sakura managed to get into a kneeling position but as soon as she tried to stand the dizziness forced her down again.

The monster noticed her movements and turned his head to her while his lower body remained still so that the paw on her mother's neck. "Naïve human," his eyes glowed red, "have you ever defeated a warrior? I have defeated thousands from hundreds of worlds. It is over!" The monster's voice raised in triumph as Ann's body went limp. Sakura's anger and fear allowed her to rush at the monster in an all-out run. She dove for him as a purple-blue cloud began to form around the monster and quickly closed on them both.

Sakura was left floating in the dark. She was alone and confused. Even as a small child, Sakura was not afraid of the dark but she had never seen a dark as empty as this. She felt like she would cry and brake down because she could no longer stand the darkness when a new fear broke in. Sakura began to fall. She tried to grab at anything that she could but the walls around were smooth. Everything she touched began to glow.

Sakura could see flowers and beads of light all round her but she could also see the spikes almost floating beneath her. Sakura moved her hands to shield her face but even at this height Sakura could see how sharp the spikes were. She would need more than hands to stop a killing stroke. She closed her eyes and silently prayed for a miracle as she fell. No one could survive this by himself or herself. She needed help and she knew it. Her parents were gone; her friends were probably still sleeping in her bed. There was no one else to ask but a higher power.

Sakura's decent seemed to slow as she fell. Inches before she hit the spikes, Sakura came to a complete stop. Feeling the sudden lack of movement, Sakura tentatively opened her eyes. She saw that she never really hit the ground. It looked like she was floating above it. Sakura slowly reached out her hand to touch the surface beneath her. She half-expected that the spikes that could still be seen under her found stab at her should she move her hand in the wrong way. Sakura pushed the fear she had aside and quickly touched the surface beneath her with two fingers.

Sakura was relieved the find that nothing happened… Nothing moved. She was not falling to her death or floating back up. The world seemed to be utterly still and it did not start moving even when Sakura got to her feet. The glass-like surface over the spikes seemed to be able to hold her weight well. All the same, Sakura made sure to walk slowly and gingerly. She was only able to walk for a few moments when a painfully familiar sound came from her left. It was a low grunt followed by a deep-throated growl. She knew at that moment that the monster was there, only a few meters from her. She slowly turned towards the sound; giving a silent prayer once again that the monster had not seen her.

The first thing that Sakura noticed was that the monster was below her and to the left. The monster had not landed on the glass-like surface as she had. The spikes had pushed through him. The monster's gigantic head was covered in blood and the once strong tail looked to be broken. Sakura could not help but feel sorry for this monster. It had killed her mother and tried to do the same to her but Sakura felt in her heart that the monster was tricked. It looked so pitiful now…

Maybe the monster had a family waiting for him somewhere, Sakura thought to herself. This monster could have been threatened or tricked into doing the evil man's bidding. Sakura took a step towards the monster but instantly stopped after that one. She couldn't forget the look on her mother's face as the monster killed her. It would be unwise to trust this thing fully. Even if it was tricked the monster could still kill her by being tricked again. This situation had to be met with cautiousness. She inched towards the monster. – the idea of leaving it there seemed too cruel to be a real option.

The monster continued to moan and growl. The long teeth were bared as the monster snarled at her. Still, Sakura did not feel threatened. She continued to walk towards it until her small hand touched its side. The monster was so immense that her petit hand seemed to shrink further as it rubbed against its matted fur. The monster stopped moaning when Sakura started to stroke it.

"It's OK," Sakura said this to both the monster and herself. "Shhh," she continued to sooth the beast. The monster started to attempt to raise to its feet. Sakura moved to the beast's side and saw a shadow in the distance.

Then, the shadow started to speak. "I see that this lazy abomination did not do its job." Sakura's blood ran could cold… she could recognize the voice. It was the strange man with the stretching arm. Sakura tried to move to the monster's other side, away from the strange man. She could see a small smile form on the man's face even though he was surrounded by shadow. "I thought about letting you live but your mother ruined that. I sent our good friend there to take care of you both. I thought that he would be strong enough to defeat two mere women without much of a problem."

The man was looking at the monster's blood-covered face with anger forcing his lips to turn up in a sneered and frustrations making his eyes burn. His terrible green eyes found their way to Sakura, who still stood at the monster's side. "Luckily, I always plan ahead. Your father should serve as a suitable captive," paused to see her reaction. Hope flashed across her face as he cheeks lit up and her mouth smiled. Only her eyes showed the dread that she still felt deep inside. _Good_, thought the Youkai in the guise of a man, _the girl knows that we are someone to be reckoned with._

"What do you want me to do? If you don't tell me where he is I'll make sure that you live to regret it!" She was braver than Diejed had originally thought. The girl was not afraid to take charge. Diejed smiled at her then; amused that she thought that she could ever intimidate him or any of his kind.

"You think that you can make me tell, child? I can do things that you never even imagined."

Diejed stepped towards the girl with a renewed purpose. No one should have the nerve to speak to him in such a way! The man was about to pass in front of the monster to get the girl when the beast stood up in one sharp motion. Now its teeth were bared at its master! The best's large, red head swiftly made its way to Diejed. The Youkai was still in his human form but the heart of him remained in its Youkai form. Stabbing Diejed in his human parts was only stabbing an illusion but if the beast could hit Diejed near where the man's heart would be…

Diejed knew that the beast would try to attack him in his most vulnerable point (the only part of his human body that was still him) and was prepared for it. Still, the force that the monster used in his strike had enough speed to knock Diejed past the spike field and out of sight. His body went from being the shrinking shadow of a man to being a small dot in the air. The dot that was Diejed seemed to get smaller and smaller. Sakura did not know where the monster had knocked the man to but she could tell that it was far away from her and she wanted things to stay that way.

The monster seemed to be thinking the same thing as Sakura as the best struggled to get to its feet. Sakura ran to its side and tried to help support the poor creature. The dark hair on the monster's flank was matted and covered in blood but it felt soft and warm in her hand. Working together, the two of them were able to work the spikes out of the beast's side.

"Come on," Sakura urged the creature. "We must hurry. That man might come back!" Sakura lead the monster in the opposite direction of that the man had flown. The field of spikes was surrounded by a thick forest of gnarled and broken trees. The large best was having a hard time moving through the small openings but it continued to follow Sakura.

She started at a fast pace. She was a short person but she was used to moving fast and her small frame allowed her to move easily through the trees. After she had made her way in to the woods, the monster gave a deep cry. Sakura turned to it and saw its eyes staring at her as if pleading. Sakura knew that speed was important and that she should travel as quickly as possible to avoid the stretching man and find her father as quickly as possible but she could not ignore the beast's cry. Sakura turned around and knew that she had to help it.

"Alright," she sighed, "I'm coming. We will travel together." The beast began to calm as he saw the girl get closer and closer to him. She moved several branches out of his way and the beast was able to get deeper into the forest without hurting himself further.

Roots stuck out of the ground and caused the monster to stumble. Branches pulled his thick hair and scratched at his wounds. He would moan every so often when the branches cut him wounds further or deeper. The large beast was not meant to be in these woods or in any other as far as Sakura could see.

Sakura spoke to encourage both her own movements and the monster as they slowly made their way to the forest's center. "I know that the branches are getting closer together and that you are having a hard time. Don't give up. There is only one reason for the trees to be this close: We are getting closer to the center of the forest. There is probably a trading post or something there."

Sakura remembered seeing a map at the beginning of the film. She could not say exactly where she was but the thick woods on the map had spikes on the outskirts. She had thought that they were mountains then but they could have been the spike field. The map had shown a dot in the center of the woods marked, "post". This was really all Sakura knew. Sakura could only hope that the post would be able to help them.

Sakura looked at the monster. "Don't you go choking or butting the people at the post, now. Once we get there we need them to like us and help us." The monster only grunted at her but she was confidant that he would not hurt anyone – especially since the monster could hardly make his way in the woods. The wounds that he carried would be deeper by the time they made their way to the post and Sakura doubted that he would feel like doing anything once he got there.

The beast looked as if he could go no further when a short man with a big nose poked at him. "Hey, no cuts! I know you're hurt but that ain't no excuse!"

"Are we near the post?" Sakura asked excitedly.

"Only about a fourth of a mile left now, girlie." Sakura stretched her neck trying to see where the line stopped. She gasped in amazement at the size. "This is one of the shorter lines. People come from miles around just to send letters and talk to family on the other side."

"The other side of what?"

"The other side of the woods o' course! Only the mailmen know the paths through these treacherous woods." The small man laughed in a high-pitches squeal as he finished speaking. "You really don't know nothing about these here forests!" Sakura blushed at his jibe. "Ya must be new. I'm Crankeet by the way. We be in line for awhile so we might as well get to know unanother."

"I'm Sakura," the girl said automatically and flinched. Should have used a fake name, she thought.

"I ain't never seen no one travel with a big thing like that… It's friendly ain't it?"

Sakura just petted the beast. She didn't trust herself to answer. Sakura knew that she was a terrible liar but the man did not seem to notice that she was avoiding his question. He just walked closer to the beast and rubbed his hand in the monster's fur.

"He a gentle giant, he is," declared Crankeet.

Sakura nodded her agreement. "So, what's on the other side of the woods?"

"The Grand Palace o' course. I thought e'ryun knowed that!"

"I am new…" Sakura started lamely.

"I thought you was new to the post; not new to Nefet World! E'ryun knews about the Grand Palace and the King, even country folk like me," the small man with the large nose stated his status proudly and puffed out his chest.

Sakura was surprised to see that she could suddenly see the front of the line. There was a brightly painted sign on the front of the post window. If said two small words but the words went right into Sakura's heart and logged it in her throat: "now hiring," the sign said.

A plan was forming in Sakura's mind. She needed out of Nefit World and back into her own world. Who would know how to do that? Surely, the great minds in the palace would know what to do! All she had to do was ask for a job and make her way to the palace. Someone there would know how to get her father back and take her home!

Sakura went over what she should say in her head over and over. By the time she made it to the front desk, she was jittery and nervous.

"How can I help you?" The woman at the front desk asked Sakura through the glass.

"I am here in response to the help wanted request," Sakura stated formally if a little shakily.

"Oh, wonderful! Garret will show you were you are to be working." The woman motioned to her right as a tall man walked behind her and round the side to a door.

"I'm Garret," he introduced himself. "Nice to have you on the team. The job can be dangerous but it is worth it to get to see the palace."

Sakura nodded as if she had been thinking the same thing since she was very young. "I can't wait to get started."

"There is some minor training you have to do first… For security and all."

"Of course," Sakura said confidently. Her teachers in school had always told her that people should act confidant when they are nervous. If you act confidant long enough, you begin to feel it too. She was sad to see the beast go into his own clearing in the forest but she knew what had to be done.

**Chapter 4**

The next two days were the longest and most taxing Sakura had ever known. She was woken hours before the sun rose and started the day was jogging. After jogging around the parameter of the post (which was about a mile) three times, Sakura and two other new employees would be given a bow and three arrows. Sakura did not know what to do with these at first.

"Where are the targets?" She whispered to the new employee on her right.

"The arrows are for hunting. It is time to get some breakfast."

"We hunt our own food?"

"Yeah," the employee at Sakura's other side confirmed. "Try to get something big and then you won't have to hunt at lunch and dinner."

Sakura's face paled. She had never hunted before! The whole concept was foreign to her. She had shot an arrow at a target in gym class a few times but was never any good at it. She was resigned to let her stomach growl for a while. Sakura was about to hand the bow and arrows back to the instructor when she saw a berry bush.

Her mind went back to the summer when she and her father picked berries at Aunt Martha's farm to help her make three-dozen pies for the fair. She may not need to hunt for food but she needed to show these people that she was ready for the job. She needed them to show her how to get to the palace.

She could hunt for her father and for her own world back… So, she crept into the woods with careful footsteps and a soaring hope in her heart. Sakura wanted to start as soon as possible but she knew that it would be foolhardy to go hunting for animals when she could hardly shoot a bow. She had to find a way to improve quickly.

The forest had thick tree growth but the plants themselves came in varying sizes. Sakura was glad of this because she figured aiming for a specific tree that was unique would be good practice. She could east berries until her arms were strong enough to pull the arrow back to pierce the hide of the toughest beast.

Sakura practiced four times a day to increase her accuracy and strength. Soon enough her arrows could piece all the way through the trees. She could aim for a thin crack in a tree and hit it with perfect precision. She believed that she was ready to try it on the real thing.

She crouched in the bushes where her berries rested. Animals craved the sweet nectar of the berry juice just as much as their human neighbors did. Sure enough there were large animal prints in the packed ground around the bush. She followed them easily even though she was not an experienced tracker. The trees that stood in the animal's path were pushed down and broken at parts.

A loud snort sounded a few meters away from Sakura as a large bear reared its head up. Sakura instantly ducked down. The bear sniffed the air and immediately went back to his berry eating. He ate greedily and the animal's snorts resumed with greater speed. Sakura knew that this was her chance. The bear was distracted and she needed to shot the arrow before the animal noticed her.

She stood to aim her arrow and shoot the bear. The arrow shook in her small hand as her arm flexed to pull the bow as far back as she could. She concentrated on her arrow and tried to forget the bear that was so close to her. Unfortunately, she was so busy trying to steady her arrow that she did not notice that the bear was getting on its hind legs to stand.

The bear let out fierce roar that was so sudden that Sakura's heart almost stopped. She was so shaken that the bowstring loosened in her hand. The arrow fell to the ground before it made it halfway to the bear. Sakura covered her eyes in fear; waiting for the killing strike.

The bear was running at full speed straight for her but it suddenly changed persecutory when the bear saw a large, gray shape running towards him. It was the beast from before, fully healed from its wounds. The beast's curved hooves struck the bear with deadly force even as it struck the animal's heart.

"You saved me again," Sakura admitted to the beast that stood still before her. "Maybe we can make it to the palace together." She stood silent for a moment and watched the beast's eyes for a sign of understanding. "You are a kind creature… The stretching man must have forced you to help him to so many cruel things. Crankeet was right when he named you a gentle beast."

Sakura looked down at the large bear in awe. She had seen several bears at home in zoos and during her time in the forest here but this was easily the largest bear she had ever seen. It had to be at least seven feet tall on its hind legs and it seemed like every bone in its body was covered in a thick layer of fat. Sakura slowly walked closer and closer to the bear but still not too close. The gentle beast that had saved her still seemed to be a little weary of the other animal and Sakura was not about to risk getting mauled when she had just recently escaped death.

To say she was surprised when someone suddenly pushed her towards the bear would be a drastic understatement. Her heart was thumbing at one hundred beats a minute and it felt like it would explode out of her chest at any second. She fought back a gasp; refusing to let the enemy hear her fear. It was not long after her startled thoughts that she had to fight back a laugh. Garret was the one who had pushed her… and he was not pushing her forward to let the beast eat her.

"I have never seen a new recruit take on a bear! This thing is huge. It is amazing that you were able to take it down on your own."

Sakura blushed at his praise but quickly wanted to set the record straight. "Actually, this guy here took the bear down." Sakura patted the large beast that still stood by her side.

"I have to say that I am no longer amazed," Garret began, "I am in awe! You used a tamed beast to take on a wild. It was a brilliant idea on your part."

"I think that it was really his idea," Sakura explained. "He chose me." Garret smiled. He seemed to be even more impressed by her meekness and humble replies. She mumbled for a bit as the two of them dragged the bear back with them; feeling awkward because of all the attention she seemed to be getting.

Everyone in the Post marveled at the girl's catch. The new cadets even had a feast in her honor. Sakura seemed to be getting more and more embarrassed and her face got redder and redder as a result. She did have to admit that it was nice to be noticed – even if it was by people from an interly different world. She also liked the idea that the beast no longer had to hide. He was allowed in the Post as a reward for his good job. Sakura was pulled back to the seriousness of her situation when she saw the bush and was reminded of her father. Her sorrowful reveries were cut short by Garret's arrival.

"Don't stay up too late celebrating," he commanded. "You'll have to be up early tomorrow to take your first message to the palace."

All the cadets whooped and Sakura jumped up with a smile on her face. She felt like she could have dived at Garrett and kissed him but she was too busy being excited:

This was her chance to save her father!

Hope blossomed in the girl's chest as she let herself absorb the news: She would be going to the palace… Saving her father was no longer just a wish but also a possibility! It could really happen. Sakura and her father could go home and live a normal life again. Sakura had to pause at that thought.

When the idea of having life go back to normal first appeared in her head, Sakura had been excited but as the thought finished forming in her head, Sakura found that she was not sure that she wanted life to go back to normal. What was so wrong about living here and hunting in the woods? She had only lived the life of a messenger for a few weeks but she could not imagine giving it up. The life just seemed to fit her… this job was all she ever wanted – she was popular, she had friends, and she had a family who loved her – still, Sakura could not just leave her father. She owed it to him. He had given things up for her countless times. Now it was her turn to make a small sacrifice for him. Still, she could not help but feel an overwhelming sadness in her heart.

Sakura did her best to push the feelings away as she readied herself for sleep and for the full day ahead. She could not have imagined what was waiting for her in the deep woods. If she had, Sakura may have questioned going there in the first place… it was something far worse than a bear.

The dark-haired girl woke up early the next morning. She was not normally an early raiser but the excitement forced her into waking ahead of schedule. She was glad that she had time to kill because in the stillness of the early morning, Sakura realized how much she would miss this place. She ran her hands along the moss-covered walls and walked along the pine-lined roads that connected all the buildings in the small community of post messengers.


	2. Chapter 2

11

**Chapter 5**

Sakura walked quietly along the road – she still could not believe that she was going to the palace, the place where her father would be! She wanted nothing more than to be a family again… Sometimes she just felt so lonely.

There were not many other travelers on the road. The messengers' path was renowned for being dangerous after all and very few people could survive the training the messengers were given. Everything was made to toughen them up so that they could survive a harsh winter here in no-man's land. So, Sakura was very surprised to see another traveler on the road after walking for three days without any sign of civilization.

"Finally! Another person!" The old man spoke quickly as if he was afraid that Sakura would suddenly disappear if he stopped speaking. "Why not make camp together, Young Messenger? It is getting dark and company is precious on this path."

The man did not need to ask Sakura twice. She readily agreed to share a camp. It did not take long to make tents and a dinner with the two of them working together. They worked in silence but concentrated fully on their different jobs. The two travelers sat down to eat when the old man spoke again.

"Every good traveler deserves to hear a great story after a long day." He smiled at Sakura like a kind grandfather and began his tale. "Once, long ago, the Earth was divided into several races. Some travelers and merchants may tell you that fairies or elves ruled over all the races with magic, mystery and justice. Although this sounds like a wonderful story, it is not true. There were no fairies or elves and justice was a thing of the past even then. The races fought – yes."

Sakura was not sure but the old man's winkles seemed to get less deep as he continued the story. She liked the idea that the man sitting next to her was not really a warrior or even a prince in disguise. Sakura did not need more drama in her life! Still, she did not ask him to stop. His voice was soothing and she was already curious.

"Many wars, both magic and benign, were fought but the side with right on its side did not always win. I know that this is a sad thought but it is a true one. Luckily, the side with the strongest warriors and the most men in their army did not always win either. It seems to me that not very many people think about this simple fact, especially those who are warriors.

Still, the winners of the battle are the ones that get to tell the tale to all others in the end. Strangely, in the winners' version of the war always puts them on justices' side. This simple fact makes some people forget that there is more than one side to each story. People have stopped caring about the facts of things long in the past. I am one of the few left who know how to dig through a thing and find the truth of it. I am looking for the one tale that must be recorded."

Now the old man was no longer old at all. He was a tall man with hair darker than her father's and skin as pale and smooth as a sheet of paper. All the winkles and all the color were gone. The man no longer seemed human. He was something else… There was a strange power radiating through him and off of him as if he has never seen the sun or ever known love.

"What are you?" Sakura demanded of the strange thing before her.

"I am a member of the First Race: the Iccazekards. I am a traveler searching for treasure, like many of the other travelers I have met before. The difference is I am not searching for gold, silver or jewels. I am looking for something so rare… there is only one in all the worlds." He paused as if he was not sure if he should tell the girl the rest. Still, he continued, "I am looking for the Weatherlock."

Sakura shuck her head, unsure of what the traveler was trying to tell her. His body bent and sifted like one possessed but then even more unusual things began to happen. The man shifted and changed. He was no longer a man. He was quickly becoming a reptile or a lizard…. Sakura could not tell what this man really was. All she knew was that she had never seen anything like him.

"What are you?"

"I have already told you," the other voice hissed. "I am the Weatherlock."

"What does that even mean?"

"It means that I make chaos," the thing before Sakura smiled toothily. "Well, that is not exactly true. I trick others into making chaos. It is an easy job because everyone wants to create chaos. Take your own race, any man will lie to save himself and if everyone lies than the truth can no longer exist. How can something be true if no one can know the truth? But I do not care about your people or their truths. I care about myself and my own high ground… my own victory!" The thing breathed in and out in a harsh, gasping breath as if it was too excited to breath.

The truth hit Sakura then and it was so suddenly realized that it came to her mouth before she could even filter it. "You're no Iccazekard. You're only a daemon… the great thing you used to be has been eaten away by hate and selfishness." Sakura had spent weeks and weeks studying this for one of her "projects". She had read all about these Spirits and Daemons. She also knew that both creatures needed to be respected… and that her months of research had barely even delved into the pool of knowledge about these magic creatures.

"You dare accuse me, human," the creature said in a deep, hissing, almost unworldly voice. "You, who are part of the evil clan who made me what I am today?"

"I never did a thing to you. I am only here until I can find my father and get home!" Sakura practically yelled the last statement to the beast. She had been trying to keep her motives secret for so long that now she had no choice but to let them spring forth.

"You have done nothing to stop it either, have you? What one world does effects the other. No human in either world respects nature or obeys the old laws that keep the world in balance."

"That isn't fair! None of this is supposed to be real! If you want help than show yourself to the other worlds." Sakura was angry. So angry that she no longer paid attention to what she was saying or how to say it respectfully.

"Ignorance of the law is no reason to break it," argued the beast. His face changed again as he spoke. Now, he was a giant lizard with sparkling fish scales covering every inch of his body but his head was now that of a human. Black hair streamed from his head in long waves that almost touched the ground.

Sakura breathed a deep breath in for courage and breathed out slowly before she spoke again. "You're right. Human beings are doing some evil things to the world but only other humans can stop them! We have made mistakes but now we have to atone for them by fixing them. Letting anger rule you will only make you want to kill the humans. How will things be fixed if we are all gone?"

The creature stopped and put his lizard hand on his human chin as if deep in thought. "You and other humans like you want to fix this problem?" The creature asked the question as if the very idea of it astounded him.

His tone made Sakura want to yell that many people knew about what was going on and that all who did wanted to help. In truth, she was not sure how many would change their ways. People back where she came from knew that pollution was destroying the Earth but that did not stop them from driving their cars everywhere. The humans where on this world would be the same. They knew that what they were doing was hurting forest spirits but no one would want to change their ways.

"I don't know how many people want to change but sometimes it only takes one person to start something big."

"I think you already have more than one person on your side." The creature leaned his head towards the girl as if he had a terrible secret to tell her. "There are rumors of another man, a man who sees with eyes unclouded by hate." A light came to the daemon's eyes, like maybe he was not really a daemon. Maybe there was some of the spirit still in this Iccazekard. Sakura felt a deep hope in her heart but in the instant the light came to the creature's eyes it vanished and was replaced with blackness.

"Only two, maybe three at the most, humans are left who want to help the forest… such a small number want to help the spirits but all the others do not only harm us… They TRY to harm us!"

The creature let out a loud roar that was so high pitched that it matched the pitch of fingernails on a chalk board. Sakura shrank back as far as she could to the tall tree behind her. She clinched the bow tightly in her hand. Praying that she would not have to use it but still preparing it for launch… This creature was unpredictable.

What happened next made Sakura go over her encounter with the creature over and over again in her mind. The iccazekard had walked over to her and even in its lizard form, the beast walked. He did not swim, crawl, run or fly but after that great roar, the beast rose up and flew high above Sakura's head. It went streamline in an arrow straight short passed the canopy and disappeared.

Sakura looked up and squinted but she could still not see the beast. He was gone… nothing was up there put falling tree leaves. They spiraled down and fluttered on the wind in a series of twirls and sways. They danced to the ground and landed around Sakura's feet. The colors bounced off the white sides of her shoes: yellows, reds, oranges, browns and even greens. Sakura focused on those colors instead of on the beast that had left her in such a strange way.

There were enough odd things going on in her own life without adding the odd things from someone else's life into the already complex cycle. Sakura moved her eyes back up so that they were even with the horizon. The path curved and dipped in front of her. All she had to do was follow it to the castle that held her father.

**Chapter 6**

Sakura walked on and on for days, stopping only when the sun's last rays fell under the horizon. She did not know that a spirit was getting closer and closer to her with every heart beat. Rormic was not a human but he was not exactly a spirit either… he could not explain what he was so he lived with both worlds. In the spring and summer he lived deep in the forest with the elk clan who raised him. He spent the winter with a widow woman on her farm. He could not stay with the elks while they hibernated each winter. The elk clan trusted the widow woman so Rormic trusted her too.

Rormic tried to show the old woman how grateful he was to be allowed to stay with her. Rormic did as many chores as he could to help her. He put up fences, dug roots and cut wood. One day, Rormic was digging and found a small charm that was about the size of his thumb nail. The shape reminded him of an ocean wave but that was not the only thing he noticed about the charm. When he turned to the west – towards the castle messenger's trail – the charm began to glow. He walked in that direction and the charm began to glow brighter.

Rormic continued to walk until he saw a path leading into the woods. He looked at the charm to see if he should turn left or go right. Turning tight made the charm glow brighter, so right he went…

Rormic could not explain what he was feeling then. All he knew was that he had to find what this charm was leading him to. He had never wanted anything more in his life. Rormic felt that he had to see this through to the end. He needed to bring the charm where it needed to go not only for the charm but also for him. There was only one thought in his head and he did not question or fight that thought.

Still, he could not help but be surprised when he saw a shape moving towards him. Rormic looked down at the charm. Yes! It was glowing brighter and brighter. He ran towards the shape, keeping his eyes on the charm. It did not take long for the dark shape to become a young girl colliding with him. Both of them let out a cry of surprise not only because they had run into each other but also because the light had exploded from the charm.

"What is that?" Sakura exclaimed the question before she could stop to think about the strange person before her. She looked around her for the source of the light before she noticed the charm in the boy's hand.

One glance at the charm told her that it was the one her mother used to wear. "Where did you get that?" She demanded as a wave of sadness almost overwhelmed her. Sakura and her mother were never close but she was still her mother.

"I dug it up in a field," the boy said as if he was just waking up from a long nap. "It glowed and I followed it here."

"I have no idea what you are talking about. This is my mother's pendent from her necklace." Sakura's voices cracked with unshed tears during the last sentence and the boy seemed to be more alert.

"That must be why the charm led me to you. Your mother's spirit wanted you to have it."

"My mother is dead. I need to focus on finding my father not on some necklace." Sakura was getting annoyed with the boy now. He kept saying the same things and none of those things seemed to make sense.

"Things happen for a reason. Maybe your mother's spirit wants me to help you find your father."

"Don't pretend like you know me or my family because you carried around a charm."

"That's not what I meant! I just…. can't believe that it was all a coincidence. There has to be a reason I had to travel here."

Sakura immediately felt a connection to the boy. He was in the same position she was. He left his friends and family to follow something he could not understand for reasons that he did not know. "What's your name?" She asked the boy quietly.

"I'm Rormic of the Elk Clan."

"You're from a Clan?" An idea suddenly came to the girl and she hoped with all her heart that it was true. "Are you the warrior that sees with eyes unclouded by hate?"

"No…but I have heard that he and a Wolf girl live near Iron Town. It is on the other side of this forest."

"I thought that the palace was on the other side."

"The palace is near Iron Town. It is a half-day's travel north. Could I travel as far as Iron Town with you?"

Sakura was about to answer but then she realized how out-of nowhere the question really was. "Why do you want to go to Iron Town? Don't you want to go back to your home?"

"The warrior who sees with eyes unclouded by hate – I have been looking for him for a year… I want to join him and fight for the forest and for life. I have to fight for peace."

Sakura looked at him as if he were crazy. "I….I…I." She couldn't seem to form the words she wanted to say. Rormic was not sure he wanted to her to finish her thought. What if she was trying to say no?  
"If you let me travel with you, I'll help you find your father."

"I already promised another spirit that I would find the One Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded and tell him that he is needed. I guess that you can travel with me, Rormic."

The boy smiled his thanks as Sakura went on. "It is nice to have another real person as a traveling companion."  
"I am not a human." Rormic said the statement as if it were a fact he never questioned because to him it was exactly that.

"Well… What are you?"

"I am not a spirit, a daemons or a human. I am just myself." Sakura had to think about this for a second. She came to the conclusion that Rormic did not know what he was. He did not have to know (Sakura herself only knew she was a human because someone told her). The strangeness of his statement seemed to pass as Sakura allowed herself to imagine the traveling down the odd and slightly frightening road with someone else. The fact was that she liked the idea of traveling with someone even if that person was not really a human.

"I guess the One Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded will need you then. We had better hurry."

Rormic smiled, knowing that he now had a traveling companion. The elks in his clan had told him about the wonders (and the dangers) of the human world. Still, Rormic longed to see it all and to stand alongside humans who still believed in the spirits of the forest. Travelers from every corner of Japan have spoken about the Warrior With Eyes Unclouded by Hate.

Rormic sat in shadowed areas while the travelers sat around their fires at night. He listened from afar where they could not see him. He had heard amazing stories about the Warrior from the messengers who came through the woods. Even when the men traveled alone, they would fight off loneliness by telling stories by the fire and Rormic was there to hear every word. He could not wait until the time would come for him to meet this man and fight alongside him!

Rormic had his head in the clouds while they traveled. He imagined that he was with the Warrior and fighting evil to save his family. He would stand in armor and silk holding a strong bow and sword. He would use not only these weapons but also his skills to save the elks that raised him and the farmers who helped him. He owed so many people his life but soon he would be able to pay them back with the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded's help, he could do anything!

Sakura tried to ask Rormic questions about his past as they traveled but all his answers were as vague and confusing as his first. He said he was neither human nor spirit, he did not live in the forest or the city, he had no parents or even a favorite food or color. The boy before her seemed to be nothing but a blank slate. Sakura thought that he would be a good traveling companion but it was maddening to travel with an enigma.

Sakura was glad he was there when they ran into other gods and spirits. She had read about these strange things but nothing could have prepared her for being face to face with them. Two gigantic shadows with wings were flying over the forest canopy. Sakura was not sure what these things were but she knew that she was afraid of them. Instinct made her small hands cling to Rormic like claws.

"Did you see that?" Sakura asked the question in a whisper with her voice slightly shaking with fear.

"Don't worry," he began with a pat on her head. "They are bats. We are in their land but they will not harm us if we do not harm them." Rormic spoke confidently and hearing his sure voice put Sakura's mind at ease.

"Have you met any of the bats before?"

"No, but I know them by reputation. The Bat Clan is a noble one. They have always followed the old ways. They are blind, but they can see beyond this world."

"What do you mean? What do they see?" Sakura wanted to know everything she could before she had to meet these creatures and she was getting impatient with waiting for answers.

"The bats can scry the future. They look into water and see what was, what is, and what could be. They may tell us about your father or where to find the Warrior. Many travelers have said that the bats give them useful information but others just complain that the bats confuse them with riddles."

Sakura smiled hearing this. She loved solving riddles and was good at them. She was about to tell Rormic this when a swift wind blew them forward and into a small cave. The swift movements made both youths cry out in surprise. Fear gripped the children as dark wings surrounded them.

"Please great, noble, bat spirits. Be calm and tell us what you want." Rormic tried to speak to the bats with a calm voice as the bats seem to circle closer and closer to them. He could feel Sakura shake slightly beside him even though he could not see her.

"Be patient, little ones. You will see Bonzic soon enough. He asked for you himself." The bat moved as he spoke and Rormic could not tell which of the bats were speaking in the dim light.

"Who is Bonzic?" Sakura asked as she began to calm down and get curious. She was surprise to find that it was not one of the bats but Rormic who answered her question.

"Bonzic is the oldest of the Bat Clan. He is the most respected and the strongest Scrier in the Bat Clan."

"You are well informed young one," said another of the Bat Clan. He was also flying in a circle around the two of them. His movement made it almost impossible to place the voice. Each voice and wing flutter seemed to be disembodied and supernaturally spiritual. The children tried to follow the voices but they seemed to be coming from every direction. The bats had to gently push the young people in the right direction. Sakura heard splashing at her feet. A light suddenly shown before her to reveal a large white bat that stood before a pool. The pool looked extremely deep and Sakura was afraid of falling in it but Rormic did not seem worried at all.

He walked as close to the pool as he could get. "What do you see, Great Bonzic?"

"Do not interrupt him!" Commanded a bat from the far left side of the cavern. Bonzic simply laughed as he watched the boy.

"The children should ask questions. I asked that they be brought her because the visions in the pool are about them. The children must be warned – there are many who will oppose them," Bonzic gently chastised the other member of the Bat Clan.

"We were in a vision?" Asked Sakura quietly as she watched Rormic step into the water that looked deep quite deep just a second ago.

"Yes. You and your friend were both on your way to start a great journey but there are some groups who may try to stop you." The giant bat stopped to breath a great sigh as if all of this had happened before and he was getting too old and tired to see it again. "You will find what you seek at the palace but to get it you will have to sacrifice more than I think you bargained for."

"What will we have to sacrifice?" Asked Rormic as if he had just now started to listen.

"Evil is lurking in the palace but no one will believe that it is there because they cannot see it. You may want to warn others but you cannot. If they hear you say that evil is before them they will only believe that you are crazy."

"So we will know that everyone is in danger but we cannot tell any of them?"

"Those who live in the palace will be in danger. When you warn them they will not believe you. Telling the people who live in the palace will only discredit you." Bonzic paused to look at the two children in front of him. "It will be hard but you must not tell them about the danger. It is up to the two of you alone to stop it."

"What is the danger?" Rormic and Sakura ask the leader of the Bat Clan in unison.

"It is a danger unlike any my old eyes have ever seen. The visions have shown me many things but nothing like this. You must be careful…trust no one but each other."

"What about the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded?" Asked Rormic. "Can we trust him?"

"The evil is unlike anything to be expected. Find the spell to save the palace." The old bat unfolded its wings and soared out of the cavern. Sakura turned to follow but the darker bats that had brought the two children into the cavern made sure that they left the same way. The way out seemed even darker than the way in to Rormic but Sakura was too busy thinking about the things she had just heard about the palace and about the future.

She could not get the bat's words out of her head even when the two of them were back on the trail in the forest and out of the bat's cave. Rormic thought the words over at the beginning but gave up quickly out of frustration. He knew that the bats were being mysterious on purpose and did not pause in telling Sakura his thoughts.

"Those bats just want to drive us insane with their fake riddles. I bet that the "evil" in the palace does not even exist."

"Something is holding my father at the palace. That thing is evil to me."

Rormic breathed out a sigh of frustration. "I just don't know what the evil has to do with the riddle thing."

"I thought that it was supposed to be literal. They never said a poem or rhythm. Bonzic just gave us advice: You'll find what you're looking for in the palace. You'll find an evil there was well. Do not tell anyone about this evil. Trust no one and find the spell. This isn't a riddle."

"These are seers and scriers, not just bats. Nothing they say is literal." Rormic was getting so frustrated that he practically screamed his response to Sakura.

The two of them continued their discussion about the meaning of the bats' message. Sakura and Rormic were both starting to get on each other's nerves. They had been traveling with one another for days and every little thing was quickly becoming an annoying habit that could not be tolerated for much longer. The discussion quickly turned into an argument.

Both of the children were hardheaded and both of them thought that their opinion was the right one. Still, Rormic suddenly stopped mid-argument when the two of them stepped into a shaded glen where wildflowers grew. His eyes got wide and his mouth hung open. Sakura thought about starting her argument again but she saw Rormic's odd domineer.

"What is it, Rormic?"

"This is my Forever Home. The Glen of the Elks." Rormic pointed to the glen in which the two of them stood.

"How can your home be a glen of elks? You are not an elk."

"I was raised by the elks," Rormic began his story. "Noccom, my Elk mother, found me in the forest when I was a baby. There were no other humans for miles and I was completely alone. Noccom felt pity on me and decided to keep me. I became one of the clan but my mother knew that I would always be a human. She knew that I could not hibernate with them in the winter. Luckily, there was a kind woman who lived on a farm in the middle of the forest. She took care of me when the others were away. The whole Clan is grateful to her and we all help out all that we can. I was at the farm when I found the charm."

Sakura just stood and stared. This boy acted as though his explanation should answer all her questions but the truth was that his story left her more confused than she ever was before. She did not know what to say. Should she be comforting him or asking him more about himself? At school Sakura would just walk past the person. She was not uncaring but sometimes it was better to let people who knew what they were doing handle the situation. Sakura knew that she would only make matters worse if she tried to help so she did nothing.

Sakura looked at Rormic and knew that doing nothing was not an option. The two of them needed to work together and trust no one. They needed to be there for each other.

"Are you glad to be going home?"

"I forgot that I was supposed to be home days ago. Noccom and my brothers will not be happy."

"I think that they will just be glad to see that you are not hurt," Sakura noted as she thought of her own parents.

"You don't know many Elks." Sakura only nodded in response unsure of what she should be saying. Rormic did not seem to be looking for an answer though. He was looking straight ahead as if he expected something to suddenly appear, shooting up from the flower-ridden ground. Sakura was shocked to see that that was exactly what was happening: Something really was shooting from the ground!

A dark shadow, shapeless and translucent rose slowly from the flower bed. A real shape began to form as the shadow rose. A splash of color appeared in the center of the shadow and quickly traveled to each of the various limbs. The color seemed to give the shape substance and the translucent being became solid. Sakura could not speak even when the shapeless shadow became an Elk but Rormic had no such problems.

The boy ran to the elk yelling greetings as he went. "Mother, mother I am so sorry!"

The elk rubbed her son's hair with her nuzzle as she spoke. "The gods know that I should punish all of my children more severely but I cannot seem to stay mad."

"I really am sorry but a real crisis came up," Rormic was about to explain the whole story when he seemed to remember Sakura. Without saying a word more to his mother, Rormic turned around and ran towards Sakura.

"Come on. Mother can help you find your father." Sakura followed slowly as Rormic pulled at her arm. The two of them made their way to the small opening between clusters of trees where Noccom had appeared.

"Mother, this is Sakura. I found a charm and it led me to her." Noccom nodded as if she knew exactly what her adoptive son was saying. "Her father has been stolen from her and the bats told us that we have to save the palace without warning them and another Spirit told Sakura to find the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded. Now we have to go to the palace."

Rormic had said all of this in such a rush that he now had to breathe deeply to get his breath back. Noccom looked past her son and at the girl he had brought. "You are not going to the palace only for this girl. You want to join the Warrior." Noccom's voice dropped down to a hush as she continued. "You want to stop the humans from coming by bringing the Warrior here."

"Don't worry, Mother. I will help Sakura and save my homeland." Rormic had changed from an excited child telling a story into an adult who would do anything to help those he loved. He said the statement with such conviction that almost anyone would believe him.

"Good luck to both of you. You have my blessing."

Rormic smiled and led the girl away.

_Author Comment: Sorry it took me so long to get this chapter up. I just started school again and had to get back into the swing of a schedule. It should not happen again – I plan on adding something each week. Some sections may be longer than others but at least there will be something more. _

_Enjoy and feel free to leave a comment! _


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 7**

Sakura did not know it but the Elks had given her more than a simple blessing. She noticed that something was different as Rormic led her away from his mother. The ground was no longer covered in green grass and colorful flowers. The sky was no longer a bright shade of blue. Everything seemed to be faded – that is everything except the elk, Rormic and a thin green line on the ground.

Sakura was beginning to fear that she was going crazy so she turned to Rormic and asked, "Was that there before?"

"What do you mean?" Rormic turned to her with a confused look in his eyes.

"That line on the ground… It wasn't there before." Sakura stopped for a moment to stare at Rormic's face and was dismayed to see a look of confusion plastered on it. "Don't you see it?"

"See what?" Rormic asked but after a few seconds of silence the light of recognition shone brightly in Rormic's eyes. "My mother is a goddess spirit. She blessed us by giving us powers."

"Why wouldn't she tell us that she was blessing us?"

"She said that she was giving us her blessing… She does this all the time. All the elks do. They assume that everyone knows everything that the elks know. I lived with them for years and no one tells me anything!"

"Well if the green line is a gift, should we follow it or avoid it?" Sakura was thinking back to all the things that she had learned during her projects. The blessing could be one of protection that was trying to warn them of danger. The blessing could also be leading them to help or to the palace itself. Sakura was not sure if the riches were worth the risk.

"Knowing my mother, she would have us follow it. She would never show me a path and then say do not take it. She knows that I would only want to follow it more." Rormic smiled at his logic and then began to walk forward. "This way?" He asked pointing.

Sakura only nodded, thinking about how her own mother may have shown her a path to tease her. She did not know her mother well enough to guess as Rormic did. Sakura had always told herself that she did not care but she had to admit that something inside her did care about her mother. Tears sprang to her eyes as she thought of the last moments that she had spent with her mother.

"Is this the right way?" Asked Rormic pointing as he turned once more to look at Sakura. "Are you alright?"

Sakura rubbed the tears from her eyes and tried to cover her embarrassment. "The path goes this way." Sakura pointed to the mountains in the east. Sakura followed the glowing path while Rormic followed closely behind her.

"Maybe the path is leading us to a book pf spells that will stop the evil in the palace."

"I thought that you said that there was no evil in the palace and that the bats were crazy," Sakura reminded Rormic of the words he had said earlier. Rormic only pouted in silent answer.

"Where do you think it leads, then?" Asked the pouting boy.

"I think it leads to a safe place. Your mother would want to protect you."

Rormic nodded but still did not say anything. In truth he was afraid of what they were going to. Adventure was supposed to be fun and exciting but this was just tiring and worrisome. He was not sure what he had gotten himself into.

After hours of travel the two of them made it to a wooded area. The forest was dense and the ground was covered in vines. Pools of water scattered over the hillside in ragged and random patterns. Sakura's breath caught at the beauty of it. She wanted nothing more than to stand by the pool and watch life take place in the forest around her.

Rormic's thoughts were quite different. He hated the thick growth. It was hard to move around in and all the noises made him jumpy. He couldn't even see if an enemy was coming because trees and things were in the way. He thought it would be better if he were back in his valley with his mother and the other elks. This forest just seemed too unsettling to him… the magic in it was too strong.

Both youths jumped when they heard an odd sound vibrate through the forest. Click-Clack! Click-Clack! Sakura thought she might scream when saw that the odd things that were making the sound were right in front of her. They were nearly on top of her. She fought the fear that rose up inside of her but almost jumped when Rormic leaped next to her and gave a giant whoop.

"Those are the Kudomi! I have heard about them but I have never seen them." Rormic was pointing excitedly at the white, clicking thing at Sakura's feet.

"Are they dangerous?"

"No! Kudomiu are friends of the forest spirit."

Sakura breathed a sigh of relief and bent down to get a closer look at the creatures. They seemed to want to play after they realized they had her interests. The little white men ran in circles around her feet and seemed to dance.

Sakura and Rormic were so immersed with the little Kudomis' dance that they did not even notice a giant wolf walk near them. A deep growl sounded behind the two youths; making them jump. Sakura let out a small scream when she saw the growl's source. The wolf's teeth showed in long, sharp rows and the two children could not help but be afraid.

"How dare you disturb the forest god's pool!"

"We're sorry! We're sorry!" Rormic swore quickly. "We are just looking for the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded. We want to help."

Sakura could only nod. Fear paralyzed her from doing anything else. The wolf though, moved quickly at Rormic's words. The wild animal leaped from one side of the green penensala to the next.

"Follow me if you really want to join him." The wolf's deep voice echoed through the space even as Sakura and Rormic turned to follow.

After several hours of walking, both Sakura and Rormic were turned around. They had no idea where they were. It did not take them long to relize that the wolf had meant for them to be confused. A young woman in a wolf pelt came out of hiding behind the dense trees.

"You want to trespass through the forest and meet the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded by Hate?" The woman sneered at the two children but they simply nodded as an answer to her questions. "You expect me to trust you? Well I don't! Too many people have lied to me!"

The woman motioned to her wolf brothers and said, "Bring them to where we can watch them. No one can see Ashitaka until I can trust them. These two could be some of the Emperor's body hunters."

The two youths exchanged questioning glances but followed the two large wolves to a group of odd angled rocks in the middle of the forest.

_Author's Note: Sorry this installment is so late! Please R and R_


	4. Chapter 4

4

**I am sooooo sorry about the lateness of my update. Things happen but now everything is back to normal and I am back to writing!**

Sakura and Rormic were led to a cave. Rormic felt claustrophobic in the cramped space. He was used to running in fields and playing in streams. This cave only had one small entrance that allowed light to seep in. It looked and even felt small to Romic and he hated the feeling.

"It is so cramped in here," he complained to Sakura for the hundredth time. The two of them had been basically trapped in this cave for several days. The two large wolves stood outside of the cave entrance and watched them night and day. The wolves scared them both but Sakura was not sure how much longer Rormic could last in the cave. They both needed out of the cave but they also needed to see the Warrior Who Could See With Eyes Unclouded. The only way they can see him is to stay here and wait for the girl who road on the backs of the wolves.

Sakura had waited as patiently as she could in the cave for days now and she could not take much longer without knowing that she was getting any closer to her goal. She slowly walked up to the cave's entrance. She was still several feet from the cave opening when she called out, "Hello?" The head of one of the wolves turned into the opening so that the nose almost touched Sakura. Fear tugged at Sakura and seemed to steal her voice but she managed to say, "I just wanted to know how much longer we will be in here…"

"Be grateful that we have not eaten you, human. Our sister will choose if and when to bring you to the Warrior." The wolf growled out the words in a deep voice that matched his body and Sakura felt the fear raise within her. She turned around to walk back to the end of the cave but she saw Rormic and guilt dulled out all other emotions.

"My friend is claustrophobic. He needs to get out even if it is not to see the Warrior." Sakura gestured to Rormic and tried to move to the side in the narrow space to allow the wolf to see him in the back.

The wolf snorted and turned his back to Sakura yet again before speaking softly to his brother. Sakura struggled to hear what was being said and almost fell over when the large wolf spoke out loud: "Follow me." Sakura helped Rormic to his feat and prayed that they were just taking the two of them out for air.

Rormic's mood lightened as soon as they made it out of the cave. He literally breathed a sigh of relief and walked with his back straight – as if a great pressure had been lifted from his shoulders. He and Sakura followed the two wolves until they made it to a pool with crystal clear water.

The two wolf guards stopped in front of the water. A deep growl sounded from one of the wolves' throats. "Well," The wolf began. "Your friend will not be claustrophobic out here."

"I see no reason why the two of you cannot be allowed to come out here as long as no escape attempts are made," the second wolf chimed in with an equally deep voice to the first.

Rormic began to run in circles in the field immediately. "Thank you," Sakura told them as she watched Rormic smile for the first time in days. It was obvious that Rormic would be occupied for hours just by running. Sakura wanted something else to amuse her. The crystal water looked more than inviting. She walked up to the water's edge and gazed in. The pool looked quite deep. Still, a little swim in deep water would not hurt. She stuck her toe into the water and jumped about a foot into the air. The temperature of the water did not startle her – ever thing about the water seemed perfect – it would take something much more terrifying to do that.

"Hey!" One of the wolves barked. "Get away from the water. Your fowl human flesh is not worthy of such an honor!" Sakura immediately backed away from the water. The growl of the wolves would have startled anyone.

She never went near the water of the pool again. Instead she spent her time playing tag with Rormic and cloud watching. Rormic, on the other hand, could not stay still longer than a few minutes.

"I'm not carrying you back to the cave, boy!" One of the wolves warned. "Save your energy."

Rormic ignored him and continued to run. Sakura ran after him and admonished him once she had caught up. "Relax," Rormic told her. "I used to run for days during the dry season. It is the only way we could get enough water without running into predators." If anyone else had told her that, Sakura would assume that they were either lying or greatly exaggerating but she believed Rormic. Sakura simply shook her head and stopped running to gaze at the trees.

Sakura had always been an "outdoor" person but she could never honestly say that one spot in nature made her feel at peace – that is… until she was brought to this spot. Standing near the pool and beneath these trees Sakura could honestly say that a peace so deep consumed her. It seemed like seconds later when one of the wolves came up to her and growled at her that it was time to go. The sky was dark when he came up to her… hours had to have passed while she stood, just enjoying the place.

"Does the spot those wolves took us seem special to you, Rormic?" Sakura asked. "I have never felt so… Peaceful… before."

"I know what you mean," Rormic admitted. "It felt like a giant felid without any predators and plenty of grass even though it was really just a small area full of wolves." One of the wolves behind them gave a low growl from deep within his throat. Sakura and Rormic took the sound as a warning to be quiet. Silence descended on the four of them as they made their way back to the cave.

They heard the wolf-girl's voice before they saw her standing at the cave's entrance. "Get into the cave," she ordered Sakura and Rormic. "I must speak with my brothers." The three of them spoke in grunts, barks, howls and other animalistic sounds that wolves often made.

Rormic stared at the cave's entrance with a lost and hazed look in his eye. He leaned close to Sakura and whispered what he was thinking as if he were afraid the wolves would hear. "I think I know why that spot was so peaceful, Sakura…. That place is the pool of the Forest Spirit!" The last two words were spoken rather than whispered. Rormic stopped speaking to see that the wolves and their girl were staring at the two of them.

"What would a barbarian like you know about the Forest Spirit?" The wolf girl asked the question as if she was accusing Rormic of something but Sakura was not sure of what that something could be.

"My mother told me stories about the Forest Spirit. We live far away from here but all of the deer know about the Great Spirit."

"Don't mock me!" The girl yelled so loudly that it echoed in the narrow cave. "Deer Spirit Gods do not mingle with humans. The Deer Clans fear Man! Why would they tell _you_ about the Forest Spirit?"

Rormic shivered and seemed to curl into a ball again. Anyone could see that he was terrified as he made no move to answer. Sakura felt her own fear sweep over her but that fear was mixed with anger.

Who was this girl to mock Rormic and keep them in a cave; never allowing them to see the Warrior with Eyes Unclouded? Before Sakura could even think about what she was doing, she stepped between Rormic and the Wolf-girl.

"Rormic was raised by the Deer Clan. His mother is a Deer Goddess and she would have told him about the Spirit of the Forest that every God follows!"

"You just took him at his word? How like a human to lie to hisown kind," the Wolf-girl scoffed.

"Rormic is not a human…" Sakura was not really sure how to explain what Rormic was because she was not sure herself.

"He's not a God or a Spirit. That only leaves a human!" One of the wolf's deep voices shot back.

"I am me." Rormic's slightly muffled voice came from the back of the cave. "I am Rormic."

The four of them exchanged glances as Rormic began to get out of his round position. He stood and stared at the others. His eyes seemed to grow as he realized that they did not understand his explanation. Rormic never thought that he would ever need to say more than, "I am Rormic."

The small boy from the Deer Clan took a deep breath and continued. "I am not a human." The boy's hand moved to his forehead and back to reveal two small horns that stuck out from his head.

Sakura could not suppress the gasp that sounded from her mouth. Even the wolf-girl's eyes lit in surprise. The two wolves began to growl from the cave's entrance. "What is this trick?" One of the wolves roared at Rormic.

"I'm not trying to trick you! I've had these horns for as long as I can remember." Rormic seemed more afraid than angry as he spoke the words. Sakura could not blame him – two large wolves were growling at him after all!

"Let us crunch their heads, San! It is obvious that they are nothing but liars."

"No… I am taking them to see Ashitaka tomorrow." San left the cave after giving her brothers a fierce stare.

**So…. What do you think?**

**Feel free to R and R.**

**Thanks to everyone who replayed and faved **


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Sorry for going so long without writing AGAIN!**

**I will get into a real schedule and have updates posted more regularly…**

**Anyway, here is a new chapter for you to enjoy:**

Sakura could not sleep throughout the whole night because she was so excited. They were going the see the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded! She would fulfill the promise she made and she would be a step closer to finding her father and going home. Rormic spoke of the Warrior as if Ashitaka were next to the gods. Judging by her surroundings, maybe he was. It seemed strange to call this almost mythic person by their first name; especially since she only learned his name a short time ago. Sakura was pulled from her thoughts by a small, soft voice.

"Sakura…. Are you awake?" Rormic whispered from the other side of the cave.

"Too excited to sleep…"

"Me too... Are you scared? Of meeting the Warrior, I mean?"

"Not really…" Sakura said truthfully, knowing that it was not the answer that he wanted to hear. "Are you?"

"I wouldn't say that I was afraid…. Just nervous."

"This is what we've been waiting for. There is no reason to be nervous."

Sakura could see Rormic nod in the darkness of the cave. She felt reassured that he was no longer afraid. It did not take Sakura long after that to realize that she was tiered… so tiered that she began to feel her eyelids drop.

She was awoken at dawn by Rormic.

"Wake up! Wake up!" he yelled as he jumped up and down on the floor next to her.

"If your yelling does not wake me up than the pounding and banging will."

"Oh, good! You're up! Lets go see if the wolf-girl is here to take us to see the Warrior."

Sakura could not help but smile at Rormic's enthusiasm. It was hard to believe that this was the same boy who was afraid just a few hours ago.

"Calm down, Rormic. I am sure that the Warrior is busy. We probably aren't his first appointment for today."

Rormic let out a groan and began to pace around the small cave. He walked in a circle and made sharp turns when he met a wall. Sakura was afraid the boy would make a hole in the floor from all his walking! The sun was raising in the sky higher and higher. Sakura peeked her head out of the cave expecting to see the two wolves that had been their wardens for weeks. She wanted to ask them when she and Rormic would be able to see the Warrior but the wolves were not there.

"Hey Rormic… The wolves are gone. There are no guards today."

"Let's go and find the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded by ourselves. We don't need them to lead us around."

"Rormic, we can't just go running around…"

Rormic jumped into the conversation and interrupted Sakura. "We can't just sit here either!"

"Let's be patient and wait awhile," Sakura said to Rormic as calmly as possible.

"If they are not here my midday, we should go to find the Warrior. I'm not waitnf all day and missing my chance!"

"Sounds like a deal. If no one comes by noon, we leave."

Rormic smiled and nodded. Knowing that he would see the Warrior one way or the other, he was able to calmly lay down and sleep. Sakura smiled softly at his sleeping form. He went from one extreme to the next. One minute, the boy from the Deer Clan was jumping off the walls and unable to contain all the energy that coursed through him and the next he was resting peacefully. Sakura could not go through all of those emotions so quickly. She was still exhausted from her lack of sleep but the excitement of see the Warrior in a few short hours kept her alert and awake.

"What should I say to the Warrior once I see him?"Sakura whispered aloud to herself. "How can I explain everything?" Her mind replayed all that she had to share with the Warrior: The problem with the Weatherlock… Her father being trapped in the castle… The mystery surrounding her mother… The list of mysteries was just beginning. There was too much… Sakura felt the sting of tears began as her throat constricted, fighting against shedding tears.

"I won't cry. I won't cry. I won't cry," she repeated in her head over and over. Still, tears began to slide down her cheeks. "I just want to go home!" This she said out load, louder than she had intended; so loudly that she woke Rormic.

The boy jumped and opened his eyes. He saw Sakura's wet face and practically ran to her.

"What happened, Sakura? What's wrong?" Sakura only cried, feeling all the emotions that she had pushed down the moment she chased the monster into this world. She tried to move away from Rormic so that she could compose herself and push the motions away yet again. Rormic put his arm out and gently pulled her to him.

"Shhhh," he cooed as he rumbed her back and let her cry into him. Sakura tried to pull away once her sobbing had quieted but Rormic only held her tighter. It was like he knew that she would only cry harder a second latter. Rormic continued to coo at Sakura until the tears finally stopped.

It was well past midday and Sakura immediately felt sorry that she was keeping Rormic from seeing the Warrior. "Are you ready to go looking or do you want to rest first?" Sakura was already feeling guilty so she quickly agreed to go even though she was feeling more exhausted than ever and she still did not know what to say to the Warrior.

"Do you know which way we should go?" She asked Rormic quietly.

"The wolf-girl always came from the east. I guess we should head in that direction."

"Sounds good to me."


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's Comment: Hi Everyone! I am trying to update this story more often… Summer School is already starting but I will try to continually update the story.**

**Thanks for reading!**

Rormic and Sakura began to walk in an easternly direction in silence. A billion and one questions seemed to fly through Sakura's head. She seemed to be in a constant state of confusion – she always had more questions than answers – the confusion frustrated her to no end when she was in her own world but in a place where nothing was familiar, the confusion seemed to be the one thing that she knew.

Sakura walked with sure steps even though she did not feel any absurdity; unlike Rormic. Rormic walked with confidence because he was confidant. Rormic seemed like he was sure of what he was doing because he lived in the now and; therefore, never had to consider any consequences – that was the Elk Clan way. Rormic was the planner in the herd because he looked to the future and saw that he needed to leave the herd and join the Warrior-Who-Sees-With-Eyes-Unclouded-By-Hate. Sakura could understand Rormic's need to leave because she was the outcast in her family as well.

Still, the two of them walked onward in silence. Sakura began to get nervous when she looked at the blank scenery. If the Warrior were out here, he would have a camp full of soldiers and weapons. Something was wrong…. Sakura's eyes shifted back and forth. Rormic noticed her nervousness and put his hand on her arm to calm her.

"Don't worry," he said. "The Wolf-Girl lives out here so there has to be something."

Sakura took some comfort from his sure voice but the comfort was short-lived:

Two large wolves stepped out into the open a few yards in front of Sakura and Rormic.

"You were not to leave the cave without us!" The wolf with the deeper voice hissed at the two of them while they were still several meters away from the two wolves.

"We were waiting for HOURS," began Rormic but at the same time Sakura said, "We didn't mean any harm!"

"Your intentions and your impatience do not matter!" The other wolf yelled as if the two of them were far away when the truth was that they were quite close now. Still, the wolf continued, "The Wolf Clan gave you a chance to be more than travelers but your actions have proved that you are nothing more than nuisances. Get back to the cave before I really lose my temper and crunch your head off!"

Sakura was visibly shaken by the wolf's threat – she believed every word of it. Rormic, on the other hand, felt nothing but rage; no fear or sadness or even disappointment coursed through him. "It's not our fault that no one came. We left the cave to help the Warrior-Who-Sees-With-Eyes-Unclouded."

"I said get back to the cave, Filthy Human," yelled one of the large wolves.

"You can't punish us for trying to help! We didn't do anything wrong," Rormic was ready to continue arguing his point when Sakura griped his arm.

"Rormic, please stop arguing. Let's just go back." Sakura saw every muscle in the two wolves' large bodies tense as Rormic spoke. She knew that the two members of the Wolf Clan were close to losing their patients and Rormic's arguing was only making it worse. She wanted all the arguing to stop before someone got hurt. Rormic seemed to accept this fact grudgingly with an exasperated sigh and a bent head.

Sakura's pleas seemed to work. The two wolves began to relax and their muscles loosened. Rormic turned towards the cave with Sakura by his side holding his hand. She squeezed it reassuringly.

"We just have to show them we can be patient and trust worthy. We will get to see him," she told Rormic in a soft voice.

"I have been patient… It is not my fault that they cannot trust anyone… I just want to help…"

"I know," Sakura soothed, "and they will know soon enough too. You heard the Wolf-Girl say that we could see him."

"I ruined our chance by talking you into leaving the cave." Rormic's voice cracked with tears as he spoke. _He feels guilty_, Sakura realized.

"Leaving the cave may have set us back a little but they cannot make us wait long. They trusted us before and they will trust us again."

Rormic nodded and his tears ceased but Rormic's walk was no longer confidant. His every move was stiff. Sakura felt useless. There was nothing she could do to help him. Silence followed them through the path. No birds sang and none of the leaves rustled in the trees above. There was nothing to distract the two of them from their familiar.

The cave was in sight and looked as boring as it had all these weeks. The walls were thick, closed off and looked more like prison than Sakura had remembered. She continued to walk forward but Rormic quickly reached out his hand and gripped her arm.

"There is someone in the cave," Rormic whispered into her ear. "It isn't big enough to be one of the wolves…"

"Could it be the Wolf-Girl?" Sakura asked with a small quiver in her voice.

"I don't know… I think that I would recognize her…but the size is close to the same." Rormic spoke quietly and slowly as if he were afraid that someone would tell him he was wrong if he spoke too loudly or too quickly.

"The only way to know who is in there is to walk in and see." Sakura tried to speak with confidence but the end of her sentence came out in a squeak. Rormic looked equally afraid with sharp glints in his eyes but he nodded his head anyway. He took a step in front of Sakura and motioned her behind him with his hands.

She opened her mouth as if she were about to protest but Rormic quickly put his finger to his mouth to signal her quiet. "_I'll protect you_," he mouthed to her. "_You are safe with me._" He reached behind him for Sakura's hand. Sakura quickly reached out to grip his. Rormic squeezed her small hand and smiled with a confidence Sakura knew that he did not feel. Still, Sakura felt herself warm with his fake confidence and moved forward to stand a step behind him.

Rormic walked up the steep step-like structures to the cave with a slow, quiet grace. On the last step, Rormic stopped and motioned for Sakura to kneel down. Her knees touched the floor and Rormic crouched down next to her and leaned close to her ear.

"I am going to sneak into the cave to get a closer look," he explained in a breathy whisper. "I want you to stay here. It is easier for one person to sneak in than for two to try it."

Sakura automatically shook her head no but Rormic returned her scrutinizing gaze and shrugged his shoulders. Without words, Sakura knew that he was asking her, "What else can we do? Do you have a better plan?"

Sakura looked down feeling guilty and a little selfish. It seemed like only a second later she looked up and saw that Rormic was already traveling silently towards the cave. Sakura slunk further into the wall, trying to turn as invisible as she could and not give Rormic away. She could not see the Rormic, the intruder or the inside of the cave but she prayed that Rormic was safe.

Her heart stopped when she heard Rormic's voice gasp in surprise.

"Hungh!" Romoric seemed to grunt in pain. Sakura ran forward without planning; thinking only of Rormic in a panic.

She was shocked when she charged into the cave…


	7. Chapter 7

**Yeah! Chapter 7 is finally up! Sory it took so long **

Sakura rushed forward after hearing Rormic cry out and was shocked to see a muscular, but light, man stand before her. Rormic was on his knees next to the man.

"It's him," Rormic breathed with awe in his eyes. "It's the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded."

"You're the Warrior?" Sakura asked the man in a shocked voice.

The man simply nodded with a small smile on his face.

Sakura stared at the man for a few seconds more in shock than Rormic's awe. Time seemed to stand still as she watched him. She could not think of one thing to say… That is, until her eyes shifted to Rormic.

"You scared me to death!" Sakura practically yelled in a shrill voice. More gently, Sakura whispered in a small voice, "I thought that you were hurt."

Rormic smiled but had the grace to look down as a small apology. "Sakura, this is the person that we have traveled so far to see. He wants to blend the forest and the human worlds and create peace. He can help you save your father and the Weatherlocks." Rormic looked from the Warrior to Sakura and said in an almost-too-soft to hear voice, "The hard part is over."

"Only one part of your journey is over," the Warrior said quickly in a gentle voice. "You have both done well and traveled far but the journey is nowhere near over. I do not mean to sadden you but it would be unfair for me to say that things are nearly completed when I know that they are not."

"What more do we have to do?" Rormic asked in an already tired voice.

"Peace does not come overnight – the prejudices of both spirits and people took years to build to this point and they will take even longer to break down." The Warrior paused and looked past Rormic and Sakura.

The two of them turned to see what the Warrrior was looking at. It was the Wolf-Girl. She walked with an odd grace that was somewhere between the flow of a dancer and the stride of a confidant fighter. Both Rormic and Sakura were hypnotized by her. Their gazes broke from her when Ashitaka, the Warrior, continued to speak.

"A good warrior knows how to pick and choose his battles. No one can be everywhere at once and in traditional war, there is not really a problem because warriors fight other warriors. The problem is that our war is against an idea and ideas have no problem being everywhere at once." The Warrior paused as San came to his side. The two warriors, the Wolf Princess and the Exiled Prince, looked at the two of them, Rormic and Sakura, with eyes full of fierceness and determination. "We need you to help us by going to the palace."

Rormic's face visibly whitened at the idea and Sakura audibly gasped at the shock. Sakura has heard many people say that rage made their vision go red but in Sakura's state of shock, her vision went white. Everything looked like it was behind a sheen of white mist but every detail was still clear. Vision can turn white and foggy with sleep but Sakura's vision was white and sharp.

"My father is at the palace… I need to get him out," Sakura said the words without thinking.

Still, Ashitaka seemed to understand. "Saving your father and defeating men who will lead us to bloodshed go hand-in-hand. The Emperor Shanju wants only one thing: immortality. He will make any sacrifice and go to any ends to get it. The Emperor has no quams about sending a village full of people to their deaths so that he can get even one step closer to finding immortality."

"The Emperor was willing to send the whole earth into chaos on the chance that he could become immortal before." San snarled as she spoke in a voice in could truly be called a growl. "He sent Jigo and his warriors to kill the Great Forest Spirit because rumors said that the head of the Forest Spirit could grant immortality."

Rormic broke with details of the story with an enthusiasm that rivaled that of boy-crazed fan girls. "I know this story! The Warrior talks the people of Iron Town into working with the Clans of the Forest. Two different societies working together saved the world and it all started when you," Rormic paused to point at Ashitaka and take a breath.

Rormic's cheeks were bright red with excitement and he continued on with fast words that his tongue seemed to have trouble following. Sakura was glad to see that the shock had worn off the Elk Clan boy. Rormic was back to his old self. He continued, "It all started when you convinced to groups that hated each other to work together. If we can help everyone put aside their differences – even only for a day – than I want to do my best to help."

Sakura smiled and nodded at Rormic. She turned back to Ashitaka and the Wolf-Girl and spoke with all the passion of Rormic in a fraction of the words, "We're in… What do we have to do?"

"The Emperor and those closest to him seem to love war but there are a multitude of good people in the palace. I need the two of you to go into the palace, posing as servants and get information into and out of the palace. I need to know what the Emperor is planning and the peace-loving people in the palace need to know that a resistance exists."

San elaborated on Ashitaka's description by adding, "We have friends in the royal city who are bringing rumors of attacks. Some citizens of the royal city have come to join us and have said that they have seen the Emperor murdering his own people. If these rumors are true than we will have to kill him – waiting for him to come to us here in the forest will no longer be an option."


	8. Chapter 8

Sakura and Rormic had agreed to go to the palace as spies. The two of them would be leaving that night. San and Ashitaka had a small sack with supplies already prepared. It seemed like they knew that Sakura and Rormic would agree to go on this trip. Still, Sakura could not turn down the two warriors. They were helping her get her father back – it seemed like a small thing to pass on information while they rescued her father.

Rormic just wanted to help people. Sakura had heard nothing from Rormic during the whole trip except stories of how he would help people alongside the Warrior Who Saw With Eyes Unclouded. Still, Sakura hoped that Rormic was not too disappointed that he would not be a traditional soldier.

The four humans; San, Ashitaka, Rormic and Sakura; walked to the edge of the forest and said formal but swift goodbyes. Sakura and Rormic walked near the road in silence. Sakura could not bring herself to look behind her – the action seemed to do nothing but make her more nervous. She constantly found herself squeezing the outside of her pack to hear the crinkle of parchment. The sound soothed her nerves. The noise came from letters to the palace adviser who hired workers. These letters guaranteed that they could get into the palace…It guaranteed that Sakura would at least have a chance to find her father. Each mile brought them closer…

Rormic slowed his pace so that he walked alongside of Sakura. "You know, we're spies now." Rormic said the sentence like it was final… like nothing could stop them now because they were called spies.

"We're still the same people, Rormic."

"No, now we are part of a group of people. It's not just us anymore. We're working with the Warrior and the Wolf-Girl and all the people in Iron Town… Things will be different now."

Sakura grunted because she did not know what else to say. She did not agree that being part of a group meant that they would somehow become more successful. Still, she saw passion and confidence in Rormic's eyes and did not want to take that away from him. Sakura knew that she was a pessimist and she hoped that they would be successful but no success would come if they did not work for it. Sakura wanted to say that but she could not bring herself to dash all of Rormic's hopes.

Instead, Sakura said, "We're spies so we can help Ashitaka and San."

Rormic nodded and smiled in agreement. Strings tugged at Sakura's heart – was this lying to or protecting Rormic? Sakura could not deny that she felt guilty. She wanted to turn to Rormic and explain every thought and doubt that flew in her head but when she turned her head, Rormic was gone. A quick eye scan showed that Romic was back to walking ahead of her. Sakura sighed and was not sure if her sigh was one of frustration or relief. She simply shook her head and felt grateful for the time she had to collect her thoughts.

Rormic, on the other hand, felt like he could take on the world. His confidence did not change when they camped for the night. Sakura tried to convince Rormic that it was important to come up with a plan before they got to the palace.

"Rormic, we need a real plan. Nothing just falls – "

"Whatever plans we make will be meaningless when we get into the palace. We can't plan for the unplanned."

"We can make a loose, flexible plan that we can change… Having at least the skeleton of a plan would make me feel – "

Rormic shouted an interruption this time. "Why does everything have to be about you? Nothing is going to make you feel better because nothing will make you believe in the cause."

Sakura stared at him in shock. Her mouth gaped open at him and her voice cracked. "I – I."

"I thought that you would want to help for the Weatherlock and for your father," Rormic still spoke in a still too loud voice.

"I do want to help – for everyone but especially for them," Sakura whispered and still looked down.

"But you don't believe in the cause. I thought that you would have more faith in the Warrior – you met him yourself but your just one of those people who will never have enough… You push everything until it can't do any further and then you question it!"

"Rormic! Stop! What do you want me to do?" Sakura did not lose her temper easily but enough was enough – she was mad. How dare he pretend to know who she trusted? Her doubt had nothing to do with Ashitaka, San or Rormic's abilities. Sakura was nervous because SHE was the one who messed up. Sakura wanted to make a plan so that she was sure she would not ruin the plan.

"Why do you have to do anything? Let's just go to the palace get the information, rescue your father and then return to the forest…"

Sakura just nodded, letting the silence between them lengthen. She sat on a log and stewed in anger until she fell into an uneasy sleep.

Sakura awoke sometime in the night. The sky was black above her but Sakura could see fairly well from the light of the stars alone. The moon was waxing and not full but the sheer number of stars gave off a light enough to see by. Sakura had never really seen the stars. Sure, she had seen the night sky from her bedroom window but it did not look at all like this. Sakura almost lost herself in the view until she saw a shadow moving next to her.

"Good!" A familiar voice greeted her while she tried to see the face that spoke clearly. "You're awake." She knew it was Rormic but she wanted to know if he was still upset or if he was sorry that he said the things that he did.

Rormic did not seem to notice her searching face as he spoke. "I'm sorry I spoke to you like that. I just want you to feel as passionate about the cause as I do."

"It's not that I don't trust Ashitaka or San… or even you… but I have a knack for messing things up." Sakura knew that her clumsiness was not really a secret but she felt like she was confessing a terrible sin. "I wanted a plan so that I would not ruin the spy assignment. I thought that if I could visualize what was supposed to happen than I could look for potential problems and stop them before they happened."

Sakura could see Rormic's eyes widen as if in shock and she suddenly felt ashamed. She started to get up, wanting nothing more than to be alone but she stopped as she felt Rormic move closer to her. She felt his arms wrap around her and pull her gently to him. She felt the warmth of his body flow through her. She leaned her head towards him to take more in. Her face was buried in the nape of his neck and she took in his scent: fresh grass. He smelled cool and clean but heat and passion seemed to surge through his body as he clung to her.

"I sorry," he said. "I sorry," he repeated the word with more passion in his raw voice. "I should never have doubted you. I see you and… you are so strong and I just wanted you to see yourself like that."

"Thank you," was all that Sakura could think to say.

Sakura and Rormic cleaned up the former day's camp and began to walk. The road seemed to be deserted so the two of them walked in the middle of the road without fear of slowing any other travelers down. Sakura's legs were getting tired of walking but she knew that she had to continue. Luckily, the weather was nice.

It was warm out but not too hot. It was the middle of spring and flowers bloomed all along the road. It was hard to believe that the road was leading them further and further from the forest and closer and closer to the city.

Rormic did not learn anything about the Emperor or really much about the human world at all. No one saw a need to teach him these things in the Elk Clan. Rormic received teaching from his mother – she taught him the difference between right and wrong and taught him the importance of asking questions. Even with all of his mother's wonderful advice nothing compared to the tales of the merchants who traveled through.

Men who had traveled through all the kingdoms would occasionally go through the Elk Clan and when they did, Rormic always volunteered to help them carry their merchandise. The merchants were always eager to talk so all Rormic had to do was listen. A year ago, traders and merchants had told nothing but the stories of a warrior who saw with eyes unclouded by hate. This warrior fought for peace and wanted Man and the forest to live as one. Rormic wanted nothing more than to join the Warrior from the moment he heard about him.

He knew that he needed to know more about the palace before he was to go there. So, he began by asking Sakura questions – surely, she knew more than he did!

"So," Rormic started unsure where to begin, "is the Emperor in charge of everything?"

Sakura was glad that the class had just covered Ancient Culture in History class. She knew the answer to Rormic's question before she even had to think. "The Emperor's word is law."

Rormic still looked at her in confusion, "So, is that a yes or a no?"

Rormic reminded Sakura of her younger neighbor. She used to walk with him to school and when he asked a yes or no question, he wanted a yes or no answer. "The Emperor is in charge of everything."

"Who is the second person in charge?" Sakura looked at Rormic in confusion. He explained further. "You know, the second in command. In the Elk Tripe we called them seconds."

"I guess the second is the Emperor's adviser. That's Master Kujo. The Emperor trusts him even when he does not take Kujo's advice."

"Does the Emperor trust anyone else? Does he have any friends?"

Sakura frowned at Rormic's question and thought about the things that she had learned in history class. She knew the advisor's name because he had commissioned a famous painting but there were no real records of the emperor's friends… Still, people in power usually put their friends in positions of power.

"The Emperor would have put his friends in high positions: generals, senators, governors… things like that."

Rormic frowned, "You don't know anyone specifically?"

"No," Sakura answered shaking her head. "I don't know any specific names."

"Okay, so, I have a plan… we get into the palace as servants with the letters and then find and befriend the emperor's friends. We can know what he is planning by talking to them."

"That sounds like a great plan for two spies," Sakura agreed, "but we are amateurs. We need a simpler plan."

"You have an idea?"

"I think that we should rely on stealth. Most palace-bred nobles ignore servants. We just have to blend in and then sneak into the Emperor's – or maybe one of his friends' – office and then we can get the plans that Ashitaka needs."

"The letters say that you have cleaned the homes of nobels in twelve discricts and that I have served food in the finest courts. Maybe you can get into the offices to 'clean' or I can sneak in between meals." Rormic's mind was playing through different scenarios. Things seemed possible. The plan could work.

"We can use stealth to let people know about the alternative to war," Rormic spoke slowly as he thought about his next words. "When we see that a nobleman is truly noble or that a member of the court might agree with Ashitaka's cause we can either leave a message in their room or wrapped in their dinner napkin."

"We really are spies now – concocting plans, getting lost in fake identities, recruiting for the cause – I think that the recruiting will be the hardest part. How can we know if someone is reliably noble? Telling all the nobles in the palace is not an option."

Rormic was about to reassure Sakura when he heard a noise. He put his hand up to Sakura, warning her to be quiet and stop. The noise was coming from off the road. He put his finger to his lips; Sakura nodded in understanding. Rormic crouched low to the ground and Sakura had no option but to follow suit.


	9. Chapter 9

3

Rormic held his breath with his stomach touching the dirt-covered ground. He felt the heat from Sakura's body – she was in the same position on the ground next to him. He could hear her breathing quicken and he tried to listen for whoever was on the other side of the road.

Rormic heard twigs snap and grass leaves rustle under the pressure of a heavy foot. Rormic moved his head slowly from left to right. The motion was hard to accomplish as he kept his head so close to the ground. Thin branches of a thorny-bush kept the two of them hidden from view as Rormic watched. Still, Rormic could see the men who walked on the side of the road fairly clearly.

There were four men walking with backs that seemed to be about to burst from the large load placed in them. Rormic eyed the four of them and scanned their belts for knives and guns. He looked at their pants for bulges that could be anything from hidden weapons to a cloth.

"Do you see any weapons?" Rormic whispered to Sakura in a voice that was so quiet that Sakura who was inches from him could hardly hear a word. All she heard were 'see' and 'weapon'.

"I don't see any weapons but who knows what they have in those large sacks?"

Rormic nodded and started to crawl backwards towards the road.

"We know that you are there. So you might as well come out!" Screamed a deep, booming voice from the direction the travelers had gone. Sakura turned her head and saw that the speaker was, in fact, one of the four men that they saw walking. His hands were at his hips and his large pack lay on the ground beside his large leg.

"We're just travelers," Sakura said as she walked out of her hiding place.

"What's a little girl like you doing on the side of the road?" The man who had yelled before asked her in a quieter voice. He began to walk towards Sakura when she did not answer.

Rormic walked out of the bush where he was still crouching beside her. He stood in front of Sakura protectively. "We were walking on the road and heard noises. I thought that it could be bandits or thieves – no one can ever be too careful." Rormic spoke a little too loudly. Sakura could tell that he was nervous.

The man kept walking closer. "I would want to be especially careful, traveling with a woman especially." The man stopped walking abruptly. "You're just children… You can't be bandits!"

Sakura nodded shakily; Rormic's eyes grew wide – this man thought that they were the thieves! The four traveling men with large packs all burst out with fits of laughter.

"We were ready to jump ya but it's nothin' but two kids!" The man behind the one who had spoken earlier spoke with a little accent that Rormic could not place.

"Where are you from?" Rormic asked. "You're not bandits are you?"

"Boy, if we were bandits you would be dead already. Haven't you heard any of the stories from the palace?"

Rormic knew that this question did not really require an answer. This was how traders and merchants started their stories. Rormic just smiled in response and turned around to Sakura. She still stared ahead with wide eyes.

"They say that all the bandits are in the Royal city. The emperor is hiering them to go into peoples' homes and stealing away the men. The men of the houses are then taken to the army camp and forced to join." The man who had first spoken to them told the story in a quiet voice as if he were afraid that someone who worked for the emperor would hear.

"People are being taken away?"

"Yes! The worst part is that samurai from other kingdoms also come to the city to do take men – they only take those who sleep on the streets. Still, the city is in a panic. People are afraid to leave their houses; children roam the streets looking for their parents. People are getting ready to leave but the emperor's guards will not let them."

"How can that many men be forced to join the army? Wouldn't they be able to overpower the regular army?" Sakura was thinking fast, trying to remember what her history teacher had said about this time period just last week.

The man with the accent spoke this time. "Rumors say that the emperor's men put something in their food to make all the men obey. I'm not sure what it is or even if the rumors are true but something is keeping those men from rebelling against the emperor."

"The Royal city is a dangerous place to be," the first man spoke now and paused to consider his options. "You two children aren't thinking of heading there, are you?"

"We are going to be workers in the palace," Rormic admitted.

"You must be very careful young ungs," the man with the accent said. "We are going around the city. None of us want to risk being forced to join the army."

Sakura nodded her understanding. "The bandits will ignore us. We are children and of no use to the army." She spoke with more confidence than she felt. She could feel Rormic tense while the men spoke but her confidence made him confidant. She could feel his muscles relax.

The gates to the city came in sight. "Good luck, children." The four men nodded goodbye to the two children and began to walk around the city's thick walls.

"Good luck to you too," Rormic called to them.

Rormic and Sakura looked up at the high walls. Sakura felt her stomach fall to the floor. There was no turning back now!

She reached for Rormic's hand and squeezed it.

"We'll be fine," Rormic said with a smile. "Do you have the letters?"

Sakura reached into her bag and drew them out. She handed one with the character for "server" on it to Rormic.

"Are you ready, Sakura?"

"As ready as I'll ever be."

The two of them walked towards the gate. A guard stepped out from behind the gate's pillar. "Do you have papers?"

"Do you have papers?" Asked the guard at the gate in an impatient voice.

"We have letters," Sakura told him, handing the letter that was clinched in her hand. He took the letter and read it quickly. His forehead creased in concentration and be sprang foreword to grab Rormic's letter from his hand. "The two of you have letters from some pretty high officials. I better take you to the palace… Follow me."

The two children followed the guard through the crowded streets.

**Author Note: Sorry it took me so long to update this. I am now officially out of school! I now have a real schedule again so updates should also occur on a schedule. Sorry again and thanks for reading!**


	10. Chapter 10

Sakura could feel her heart pump against her chest as if it were trying to escape her body through her rip cage. She tried to breath slowly to calm her quaking heart. Her hands shook and her feet ran to keep up with the guard. Rormic's unrelenting energy allowed him to keep pace with the guard easily. No part of his body shook and no muscle twitched with nerves. Anyone who did not know Rormic would have been able to tell that he was nervous but Sakura could see the worry in his eyes. This is what the both of them had wanted from the beginning of their journey – to get into the palace!

Neither Rormic nor Sakura could explain why they were so nervous but they also both knew that instincts were to be trusted. The Elks had taught Rormic the importance of listening to instincts sense he was small and Sakura could not deny that instincts had warned her in the forest when her common since had not. The two young people shared a sideways glance. Eyes were the windows to the soul and the two pairs of eyes were yelling the same thing: Get out before it is too late.

Sakura turned to run one way while Rormic tried to run another but it was too late already. The guard from the gate stands at one entrance to the ally Sakura and Rormic has found themselves in while another tall man in uniform stands at the other end of the ally. High walls surround Sakura and Rormic on both sides and trained guards stand at both ends. There is no way out.

"It is useless to try to leave," stated the uniformed man on the other side of the ally. "The councilor has been informed of your arrival and is anxious to meet you two thieves."

"We haven't stolen anything." Sakura tried to speak in an authoritative voice but fear clinched her throat and the noise that came out sounded more like a scared child.

"You, Boy!" The uniformed man pointed to Rormic with the blade that he had drawn. "You are part of the Elk Clan, are you not?"

Rormic could not find his voice but he managed to nod.

"The councilor and his servants visited your Clan a few years ago. He remembers you and knows that you are coming."

The grip of fear tightened around Rormic with each word the uniformed man spoke. Rormic's eyes scanned the ally. There had to be a way to get away from here! "He must be mistaking me for someone else." Rormic knew that this was a weak excue but fear told him to try anything.

"It is useless trying to leave. The councilor knows that you are here. If you meraculessly manage to leave this ally, you will never be able to escape all the men the councilor has in the city and beyond."

Sakura placed a hand on Rormic's shoulder to steady him. "Why is the councilor so interested in seeing us?"

"The councilor hires all the servants so he was informed of your arrival. The Elk boy's description was given to the councilor along with your own. The councilor immediately recognized him."

"I'll come with you to see the councilor," Rormic said sullenly, "but you have to let Sakura go back to the gate."

"If your friend truly wants a job at the palace, she will have to come with us." The uniformed man spoke but neither man moved from their place at either side of the ally. Rormic and Sakura knew that their only option was to go with these men. Rormic turned to face Sakura. His eyes pleaded that she understood that they were out of choices. Sakura slowly nodded her understanding and consent.

Rormic did not really know how to say what he was thinking so he said the plan as plainly as he could. "We'll go to the councilor with you."

"You have made the right choice," the uniformed man assured them. The man used his head to motion to the guard. The gate guard positioned himself behind the two young people while the unformed man led them from in front.

A large, glittering building seemed to rise before the four of them. Sakura would have called the building beautiful if she had willed herself to look at the structure. Instead, Sakura was busy thinking of all the horrible things that could await them in the councilor's office.

Rormic was trying to stay calm by reliving all of his childhood memories. He remembered running with the young Elks in the green fields. They would leap on rocky cliffs and sprint in the open valleys. Rormic remembered sleeping against his mother and father. He felt their love with every breath he took. The memories not only soothed him, they also gave Rormic a surging force of confidence. Rormic had traveled far from his home and he was in a strange city but he was also a warrior.

Rormic wanted to let Sakura know that it would be alright but the uniformed man stopped in front of a tall set of ornate doors before Rormic could even open his mouth. The unformed man turned to Rormic and Sakura and said bluntly, "No weapons will be tolerated in the councilor's presence. If you have anything with you leave it here."

Rormic and Sakura shook their heads. "We don't have any weapons."

The unformed man nodded approvingly. "Good. Go change into the appropriate clothing. You will find everything you need in the other room."

Sakura and Rormic followed the man's instructions and went into their respective rooms. Both rooms were bare except for a mirrored wall and a chair with clothes draped over them. The clothes were clean and spotless white. Sakura could see that the clothing was semi-sheer – not so sheer that she would be embarrassed but sheer enough to keep anyone from hiding something in or under the clothing. Sakura quickly changed into the clothing; not bothering to look in the mirror that had been provided.

Rormic emerged from his room shortly after Sakura had. He wore a similar outfit made of sheer material.

"Come," commanded the uniformed man. "It is best not to keep the councilor waiting. He is not a patient man." He led the two of them towards the ornate doors yet again. The guard from the gate seemed to be gone.

Rormic glanced behind him, thinking of trying to run. There were no guards in sight. Rormic grabbed Sakura's hand and sprinted to the archway that leads out. He had hardly made two steps when a line of armored men appeared, blocking the way out.

"I would not try to run, Elk boy," the uniformed man spoke slowly but loudly. "These men are trained and have weapons. You would not want anyone to get hurt, would you?" The man looked pointed at Sakura even though he directed the question at Rormic.

"There is no need to scare the children, Kiru," said a deep, commanding voice. The whole party turned and saw that the ornate doors were open. The figure that had spoken stood between the large doors. He was dressed like a king in long-sleeved robes of gold. "The little thief will have enough to fear soon enough."


	11. Chapter 11

"What do you mean 'thief'? I never stole anything!" Rormic's voice held more anger than fear but the councilor did not seem to notice.

"Do you not recognize me? I came to visit your Elk Clan earlier this year…" The councilor spoke in a condescending voice coated in silk. The sound sent shivers down Rormic's spine.

"I remember your visit. The party of servants that you brought with you was the largest I have ever seen."

The councilor nodded slowly. Mirth glinted in his eyes dangerously. "Perhaps you also remember that I had a golden chest with me. Something very valuable to me was kept inside – a family heirloom. That chest was gone after I left the Elk Clan. Your Clan stole it!"

"How dare you accuse my Clan? You insult all Elks!" Rormic spoke with such ferocity that Kiru pulled his sword from the sheath and griped Rormic's shoulder tightly.

"The Elk Clan is a long way from the city. Are you sure that it was lost there?" Sakura asked quietly, hoping to give Rormic time to calm down.

"Do you take me for a fool, Girl?" The councilor's eyes blazed and his face turned red as he spoke. Still, he continued, "I know that the heirloom was lost at the Elk Lands. Search the boy!"

Kiru's grip on Rormic tightened as the other hand searched Rormic's person. Nothing was found. Kiru's search moved to the bags that were taken from the two of them at the gate. Clothing, dried food and the like were all pulled out of the bags. Finally Kiru's hand wrapped around something small and cool. A smile played on his lips as he nodded to the councilor. Kiru's hand slowly rose from the bag to revile Sakura's mother's necklace.

Sakura sucked in a breath and tried to stifle the gasp that begged to come out. She did not want the councilor to see her shock. Luckily for Sakura, Rormic did not plan to take the insult quietly. Rormic's outburst held everyone's attention.

"I didn't steal anything. The necklace must have fallen out of your chest. I found it in a field." Both of Kiru's hands griped Rormic tightly about his arms. Rormic stole a sideways glance at Sakura. He saw how upset she was and he did not want to upset her further so he just stopped talking.

"The boy is telling an obviously lie, councilor," Kiru started. "We should send him to the dungeon. He'll learn the importance of truth there."

"No! He's telling the truth!" Sakura had finally found her voice. She could not stop the words from pouring out of her mouth. "The necklace used to belong to my mother… or one like it did." The words that came out of Sakura's mouth so quickly seemed to disappear in an instant. She no longer knew what to say…

All three men were looking at Sakura now. Rormic's eyes were wide in alarm. Kiru's gaze shifted from Rormic to Sakura and back again but the councilor's glinting gaze never left Sakura.

"You are not just a simple worker. Where are you from?"

"She's from Iron Town," Rormic said quickly.

"It's not you I am asking, Boy," the councilor spoke through clinched teeth. Sakura refused to say anything and after about five minutes of silence, the councilor began to speak again. "Take the boy to the dungeon. We can sort this out later."

"I told you," Sakura practically yelled. "He didn't steal it."

"I will consider listening to you when you tell me how you got here, where you are from, who your mother was, or any kind of useful information. I might even consider letting you see your friend." The councilor gestured to Kiru with his hand and both the uniformed and guard and Rormic were out of sight quickly.

"You now he didn't steal it! How is hurting him going to help you?"

"I just need some information. There is no need for your friend to be hurt." The councilor spoke with a practiced tone as if he had given this speech many times before. Sakura wanted to help Rormic but she did not know what to tell this man. She could not bring herself to trust the councilor.

"I don't know how the necklace got there or even how I got here." Sakura felt good telling the truth even though it was not all of the truth.

The councilor gave a dry laugh. "Your friend will be staying with me until I have more information. You are welcome to roam the palace freely." He smiled as if he had said something funny. "I do not advise trying to leave the palace or trying to get down to the dungeon to see your friend. Everywhere else in the palace is open to you."

"Why?" Sakura asked with doubt plain in her voice. "Why not just put me with Rormic?"

"You and I want the same things, young lady. The sooner you see that the sooner I get the information I need." The councilor smiled slowly as if he had just made a joke. "Kiru!" The councilor's yell echoed through the halls of the palace. Sakura was startled into jumping from the volume of the councilor's call. Kiru stepped into the room before the call finished echoing through the palace. "Take the girl to her new room. Give her a brief tour of the palace and make sure that she knows where she is barred from going."

Kiru nodded and lead Sakura out of the office and into the large entry way. Sakura tried to pay attention to what Kiru was saying but her mind was still reeling. Rormic was in prison, her father was still missing and Ashitaka still needed her to bring information into and out of the palace. All the things she had to do seemed overwhelming. Remembering all that she had to do along with remembering all the places Kiru was telling her about seemed too much to bare. Still, her attention was captured when Kiru pointed to a door was a heavy lock.

"That door leads down to the dungeon. It is one of the places the councilor has forbidden you to go. If I see you here I will be forced to lock you in your room but if you behave the councilor has agreed to let you see the Elk boy." Sakura nodded even though she did not really understand. It was the only thing she could think to do.

"This is your room," Kiru pointed to a room down a long hallway, fairly faraway from both the dungeon entrance and the councilor's office. The room was well furnished but anything that could easily be used as a weapon had been taken away. There was a large fireplace but all the logs and tools for the fireplace were gone. There was a hair brush and pins to hold her hair up but the scissors were gone. Two armed guards stood outside of her door and even though she had been given permission to move around the palace, Sakura knew that she was trapped.

**Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please remember to respond – hopefully I can make my writing better! How are Rormic and Sakura going to get out of this one? Maybe San and Ashitaka will have to show up!**


	12. Chapter 12

Miles under Sakura's room, in the dungeon below the glittering palace, Rormic sat in chains. He remembered back to when the councilor had ordered him placed in the dungeon. Sakura had yelled and Rormic himself had been shocked. Kiru had to lead him out of the office before he realized what was happening. Rormic immediately began to fight. He twisted his shoulders this way and that so that Kiru could not hold them properly. He faked to the left and sprinted towards the archway. The armed men that had been there earlier appeared again but Rormic made a sharp turn to avoid them. He was quickly moving towards the window.

"STOP!" Kiru's voice boomed across the lobby but Rormic paid it no mind. He braced his hands against the window frame and prepared to jump out. Rormic's feet left the ground and he felt freedom in his grasp. The feeling of freedom for quickly followed by alarm. Gloved hands grabbed Rormic's clothing and hair before his feet were able to touch the ground.

"You've made another mistake, boy." Kiru swore as Rormic continued to struggle and he yelled to the men to get irons. The iron shackles were tightened to secure Rormic's wrists behind his back. "Stop struggling. It won't help you now."

Rormic knew that Kiru was saying the truth but he could not will his body to be still. Adrenaline coursed through his veins and yelled for him to move and struggle. It took four guards to force Rormic into the dungeon. What he saw surprised him.

Rormic had imagined the dungeon as low after low of tiny cells but palace dungeon was one big room. He breathed a sigh of relief. Small spaces scared all the members of the Elk Clan and Rormic was no exception. Rormic was disappointed that he could not move around the room but he was still glad that the prison was not small. The guards that had forced Rormic down to the dungeon seemed to enjoy chaining the boy's arms to the wall and making the irons extra tight.

Rormic was forced to sit where they had left him with his arms above his head. His arms were tired of staying up and his back ached from rubbing against the course wall. Rormic tried to remember more comfortable places – and even tried to imagine that he was there – but thinking of anything was getting harder and harder with the constant sound of dripping water ringing throughout the large chamber.

"Garrahg!" Rormic cried out in his frustration. He was ready to kick at anything he could when a voice surprised him into stillness.

"Don't worry. After awhile all the little noises don't bother you."

"Wh-who's there?" Rormic's voice trembled as he asked. He silently prayed that it was not one of the councilor's men.

"My name is Brad Pilletera. I am not really anyone important. I don't even really belong in this world."

"You're Sakura's father! She is here, looking for you!" Rormic assumed that this news would please the father but he was very wrong.

Brad's face changed color from red to white and finally to purple. The older man's mouth moved up and down but it took a few minutes before words finally came out. "Sakura should not be here. She is supposed to be at home where she will be safe." He stopped and breathed deeply for a few moments to calm himself and compose his words. "She has no idea what she is getting into. I have to get out of here… I have to warn her!"

"She seemed to be doing a great job to me," Rormic explained. "Sakura traveled across the forest and tamed beasts. She even met the Warrior Who Sees With Eyes Unclouded. She has been a messenger and a spy and everything in between. She can handle the councilor just fine." Rormic finished with a smile but Brad's face seemed to get even sadder and even turned whiter.

"The councilor will be the least of her worries." Rormic swore he could see tears streaming down the man's face in the dark of the dungeon.

"What do you mean? What is this really about?"

"Sakura does not know the real story and I fear that she will not recognize the enemy." Brad spoke in a loud whisper as if he did not notice that Rormic was there at all.

"Sakura is smart. She'll know when they try to trick her." Rormic tried to comfort the crying man.

"You have no idea what they are capable of!"

"Maybe we can warn her…" Rormic knew that it was unlikely that either of them would be able to see Sakura but he wanted her father to calm down so that they could come up with a new plan. "I need to know who the real enemies are. Sakura needs to know who to watch out for."

"Poor Ann has so many enemies. I hoped that she had warned Sakura but now I am sure. If Sakura knew what type of people really lived here, she would have never agreed to come."

Rormic wanted to shake the man and yell that he was not making any sense at all. He concentrated on breathing and slowing his racing heart. Rormic focused on calming his anger.

"Brad," Rormic began in the slowest, calmest tone he could muster. He took a breath before plunging into the hard part of the conversation – only to be interrupted by Kiru walking into the dungeon.

"The councilor still wants answers," Kiru stated this with a blank, expressionless face that chilled Rormic to the bone. "Come on," Kiru turned to face Brad Pilletera. "The councilor has more questions for you, Old Man."

Brad shook his head. "I already told him everything that I know."

"The councilor has met the girl and seen the heirloom. He has some new questions. You would do well to answer all of them." Kiru unlocked the chains that secured Brad's wrists to the wall and forcibly pulled the older man to his feet. Kiru pulled the stumbling man after him as he made his way to the stairs that led out of the dungeon.

"He's confused," Rormic tried to explain to Kiru. "He won't be able to answer anything."

"I'll be coming back down to get you shortly," Kiru replied curtly.

"Don't waste the councilor's time with the old man. Take me up now and just get it over with." Rormic knew that he should be more respectful but he could not help but let his frustration show.

"You'll get your turn," Kiru yelled down before Rormic heard the lock bang securely behind Kiru.

**Author's Note: Hi Guys! I've got good news and bad news – the good news is that I have a new job ****. The bad news is that I will be back to updating every other week instead of every week. Sorry…**


	13. Chapter 13

**Author's Note: Thank you to the 220 people who read in this story in August **

Sakura had no idea any of this was taking place. She did not know that Rormic had met her father or that the councilor was questioning them both. She only knew that she needed information – Ashitaka had sent both she and Rormic to the palace to get information – Still, Sakura's first priority was to free Rormic and find her father.

Rormic had made it clear that helping Ashitaka meant helping the whole world but she also knew that the best way to help the cause would be to bring more people to it. Bringing Rormic and her father to the cause would help Ashitaka more than just finding information. Sakura knew that she was rationalizing her choice because she had already decided to save them. Anything can make sense if she argued it enough. Still, her goal was to save Rormic and find her father…

Sakura walked out of her room with her goal in mind. She needed information and this palace was the place to get it. Sakura did not really know her way around the palace. Her first thought was to move from room to room. Sakura's hand turned the first door handle but the door only clicked. It would not open.

Sakura sighed. She should have known that the councilor would not let her go just anywhere. She could feel frustration wrack her tired mind. She had been thinking a mile a minute since she and Rormic had walked into the city. Now everything was catching up to her. She needed information but the councilor controlled the information she could get and she doubted that he would allow her to find a way to get out. She wanted to scream but then a sudden idea came to her.

Sakura needed a way to get information without being restricted by the councilor. Sakura would have gone to a library or information center if she were in her own hometown but she did not know what to do here… No one could hide all the information even if they were an emperor. There was information somewhere in this palace. All she had to do now was find it. She walked down the hall aimlessly hoping for some kind of clue.

"This is official business!" Someone yelled in a room to Sakura's right. She walked closer and placed her ear to the door. She strained to hear the quieter words. "You treat this office as a place to play yourown game. Do you not see that the decisions you make effect thousands of people?"

"You are not looking at the bigger picture," the muffled but familiar voice of the councilor chided. "This new move may seem risky now but it will help the city and even the whole empire in the long run."

"The people are forming mobs now!" The first voice was yelling again and his voice was getting striller and striller with each syllable. "There is even talk of rebellion! If your master plan takes too long the whole empire – and all of us as well – will be gone before the project is finished. No one will be helped."

"You worry too much… and overstep your station from time to time as well." The councilor's voice took on an air of warning and danger. The dangerous silk covered the man's words and Sakura hoped that the other speaker had the since to be stop talking because he could be an ally…

"I-I-I meant no disrespect, your grace." Sakura imagined that the man bowed as he spoke. She breathed a sigh of relief. The man was smart enough to know when to shut-up… Hopefully he was brave enough to help.

Sakura heard the men's steps moving toward the door. She ran to get out of the way. She hid at a corner and prayed that the councilor did not walk in her direction. The door opened as the councilor stepped into the doorway and turned to face the other man again.

"Remember what I said, Aiko. You have dreams of grander and some good ideas but none of them will come to pass if I do not will them to. The Emperor will see no one but myself. Without my approval, your dreams will never come true."

The other man, Aiko, nodded. "Thank you for your time, councilor." With that, the councilor left and Aiko bowed again.

Sakura heard the councilor's footsteps hurry away from the room. She ventured out of her hiding place. Her first thought was to go to Aiko and ask for his help but common since told her that telling him everything without knowing anything about him was not a good move. So, she decided to go in and get more information about Aiko.

Sakura stepped into the room and Aiko looked up from where he was still bowing. Surprise shown wide in Aiko's eyes when he saw her small figure step boldly into the room but the bright light of recognition quickly followed the surprise. "You must be the councilor's new guest."

"I'm afraid I don't know much about the councilor," Sakura was hoping she could hint at a plan and not give anything away. If Aiko shied away from the possibility of danger than she could walk away and Aiko would not know enough to stop her but if Aiko showed interest than she could ease him into the full plan.

"No one really knows that councilor well. He seems to change the way he does things with the seasons. He cannot seem to make up his mind."

"Changes must make it hard to get things done. It sounds like the councilor's methods frustraite you."

Aiko's face visibly whitened after Sakura had spoken. "The councilor is knowledgeable and his methods are effective. It should not come as a surprise that an uneducated man like does not understand the councilor's methods."

Sakura was not sure how to let the man know what side she was no without giving her plan away. Silence began to close in around the two of them until Sakura decided to be blunt.

"You know that I was never asked to be a guest here?"

"Alliances change quickly here, Lady." Aiko bowed low and placed his warm hand on her own. Sakura felt him press something into her hand. She sucked in a breath and pulled her hand back, clinching the note in her hand.

Aiko left and Sakura noticed how young he was – around the same age as she was – but Aiko was very tall. He looked competent. She had only had a short conversation with him but she felt like she could trust him. The facts that the trust came so easily made Sakura instantly mistrust it.

It was not that Sakura did not like to trust people. The problem was that trust never came easily to her. She had known her mother her entire life and she still did not trust her mother. Sakura had known Rormic for months before she began to really trust him. She had known Aiko for less than an hour and she was already trusting him. She was not sure she could continue to trust her judgment.


	14. Chapter 14

Rormic felt his gut turn. Kiru had just left with Brad and Rormic had let the guards take the harmless man. Rormic swore that he could hear Brad moan. He told himself that it would be impossible for him to hear anything through the layers of thick walls but he could not shake the feeling. He jumped when the dungeon door banged open.

Rormic expected to see guards dragging Brad to the dungeon to chain him up. Rormic jumped when he only saw one figure walk down the steps. It was Kiru.

"I told you it would be your turn soon." Kiru spoke as he walked down the steps. Rormic glared daggers at Kiru's head until the uniformed man stopped in front of Rormic.

"Where's Brad?" Rormic asked Kiru as the locks that encircled his wrists were being unlocked.

"You'll be seeing him soon, Boy. Just behave and follow me. The councilor is ready to see you now."

Kiru never glanced behind him as he led Rormic up the stairs. He seemed so sure that the younger man would follow. Still, guards awaited the two of them when they reached the top of the stairs and stepped out into the lobby area. Four guards surrounded Rormic but Kiru remained at the head of the group. The guards watched Rormic closely. He knew that there was no way he could escape from all those close watchers. It seemed like seconds later that Kiru opened the door to the councilor's office yet again.

The councilor sat at a large mahogany desk. Brad sat in a chair on the left side of the room. His head lulled to one side. Rormic moved into the room quickly once he laied eyes on Brad.

"What happened to him?" Rormic asked in a whispered voice. The question was directed at the councilor but it was Kiru who answered,

"We only want to know about the girl. Your friend here will not answer even the simplest question."

"I told you already: he is sick. Brad won't answer anything." Rormic stopped talking suddenly because his mind overwhelmed him with questions. "I doubt he has any information, really." How do these men know that Brad is Sakura's father – do they know?

"I know that this man is from the same place as the girl. I also know that she is more than just a girl." The councilor smiled as he spoke these words. The councilor's smile grew from a smile grin into a cruel snare as he talked. "You may as well tell me the specifics, Elk boy. I may even let the man go if you do."

"There is nothing to tell." Rormic spoke solely and softly. He knew what he wanted to say but not how to say it. "You want there to be some great secret but there really isn't anything to say."

"Don't play games with me, Boy! I am not guessing that the girl is special – I know that she is not from this world." The councilor's face was turning red with anger. "Tell me what you know about her world!"

Rormic stayed silent. He looked at the councilor in the eye and used all his strength to keep his face blank.

"You seem to enjoy doing things the hard way," the councilor commented as he motioned to Kiru. Rormic let Kiru come towards him. Kiru assumed that the boy had given up and was allowing the enevitable to take place. He was in for a shock when Rormic kneed Kiru in the stomache as soon as he was in range.

Kiru cursed. He drove at the boy but Rormic was already on the move. Kiru almost reached Rormic's legs but Rormic jumped just in time.

"Guards!" The councilor called out in a loud voice. The door exploded as man and man entered the room. Every single guard who entered charged directly at Rormic. He tried to ovoid them but they were everywhere. Rormic tried to fight them but there were so many. It did not take long for the guards to overwhelm him.

One man twisted his arms behind his back while another two men held his legs still. Kiru came from behind Rormic's now still body. He grabbed a fistful of Rormic's hair and forced him to look at where the councilor stood. He was right next to the chair where Brad sat.

Rormic's heart and mind screamed one thing to him: Brad! I have to help Sakura.

"I was hoping that you would see since and be more helpful." The councilor walked slowly to his desk, pulled open a draw and withdrew a jagged-edged knife. He walked back to the chair in which Brad sat very slowly.

"Leave him alo-!" Tried to yell out but Kiru's hand quickly covered his mouth.

"Be quiet, Boy! You missed your chance to be helpful," Kiru's voice hissed close to his ear.

Brad's head was still lulled to the side when the knife went in. Rormic expected him to scream but the only said that Brad made was a small moan. The councilor let go of the knife's handle and left it in the man's thiegh as he turned to where the men held Rormic.

"I chose this knife for a special reason. The jagged edges allow the knife to cause more pain going out of the body than going in." The coucnilor's hand quickly gripped the handle now. He pulled it out with the flourish of a fighter. Brad's mouth opened and closed as if he was gasping for air.

Now Rormic renewed his struggling. Rormic knew in his head that there were too many guards in the room and that struggling would not really make a difference but his instincts screamed at him to do something.

"Now, now," the councilor cooed, standing near Rormic, "you can make it all stop."

Kiru tightened his hold on Rormic's hair and pulled the boy's head back. "Just tell the councilor what he wants to know and no more harm will come to your friend…or the girl."

Rormic stopped struggling at the mention of Sakura. Kiru removed his hand from Rormic's mouth. "You can't hurt her," Rormic's voice got softer as he spoke. He was still out of breath from the earlier struggle. "You need her."

"No one wants to hurt her," the councilor spoke to Rormic as if he were speaking to a small child, "but we need information; if the only way to get it is to hurt her than we will."


	15. Chapter 15

**Author's Note: Sorry for the lateness of the update but I need to get some thank yous out of the way:**

**A BIG thank you to the 200 people who read this story in the month of September Please continue to read…**

Sakura quickly walked down the hall. She was not really sure where she should go. Fate, once again, seemed to make the choice for her. A loud crash followed by an even louder BOOM sounded from the end of the hall.

That was the councilor's office! Sakura quickly walked to the large doors and tried to listen in. Her ear pressed against the wood of the door. She heard a number of voices behind the door but she easily identified the voice of Rormic. They were talking about her… What she heard shocked her into action.

She raced into the room – not thinking about who or what else could be in the room.

Rormic was being held still by a number of guards – Kiru even had a firm grip on Rormic's hair. The councilor stood to the side next to a bearded man slouching in chair. Sakura gasp when she recognized the man as her father. She knelt next to him and saw the blood.

"What did you do to him?" Everyone in the room was shocked by the demanding note in her voice.

"Do you know this man?" The councilor asked innocently.

Sakura looked at him in shock… Why was her father kept prisoner if they did not know who he was? Rormic renewed his struggles seven-fold. "Don't say anything, Sakura!" He yelled. Kiru quickly put Rormic in a head lock; firmly forcing his chin into his jaw.

"Sakura … Sakura?" Her father's voice mumbled her name repeatedly. Sakura wanted to run to her father and comfort him. She could see that he was injured.

"What did you do to him?"

"Have you thought about my offer, Sakura? I can see that you are still unsure, so I will make this decision easier for you – if you agree to give me the information, than I will allow you to see both Rormic and your other friend here," the councilor promised as he gestured to Brad.

"Will you let them go?"

"I am afraid that it is not possible."

"You plan on keeping them prisoner forever…"

"The world is a dangerous place. The only way to keep your friends safe is to keep them here." Sakura shook her head – his rationale did not make any sense. "You will understand in time," the councilor reassured Sakura.

He turned to Kiru, who still held Rormic in a headlock, and said, "Take them back to the dungeons. We are done for today."

"Wait!" Sakura was not ready to see her father and friend go. "You can't just do that."

"Do you have information to give us, Sakura?" The councilor's voice was playful but his solemn eyes told Sakura that he was serious.

She shook her head no. The councilor sighed and motioned for Kiru to continue. Kiru kept Rormic in the headlock to make dragging him down the stairs easier. Two guards walked behind him, dragging Brad between them.

"I'll escort you back to your room. You must be tired." Sakura saw that she did not have a choice so she followed the councilor back to her room.

She laid in the bed but sleep alluded her. Her mind kept replaying the day in her head. She had found her father… she thought that she should be celebrating but there was no trace of happiness in her. Her father was alive but he was hurt. Rormic hated close spaces and she was sure that they had him locked up in one tiny room. She imagined that the two of them must hate her.

Sakura's mind drifted into an uneasy doze. She dreamed of her father and of Rormic but her dreams were anything but pleasant. Visions of her bleeding father danced in front of her even after she opened her eyes. Rormic yelling that he hated her rang in her ears. She bolted from her bed and ran to the door but it was locked now. The little freedom she previously had had been taken away.

**Author Note: I added on this next section to make up for the late update. Enjoy and thanks for waiting… I'll try to make it worth your while:**

Sakura tried not to go insane during the few days she was trapped in the room. She worked hard to push the worry and boredom out of her mind but every now and then her thoughts strayed to Rormic and her father. Anything could be happening to them!

She was strangely relieved when her door opened one morning. Kiru walked in and was quickly followed by the councilor himself. Kiru stood to the side like an imposing bodyguard. The councilor stood in the middle of the room even though Sakura stood at the far wall. The room was small but the councilor did not make a move to cross it.

"I trust that you have slept well?" The councilor was obviously trying to be polite but Sakura just stared at him.

"Where are the others?" Sakura did not care about being polite. She had sat in that room for days worrying and she wanted some answers.

The councilor ignored her questions. "You should be glad to hear that you will be allowed to walk around the palace once more – as long as you avoid the dungeon."

"I don't want to walk around the palace. I want to see my friends!"

The councilor's voice took on a sympathetic tone. "I can see that you are upset," his voice became hard as he continued, "but you would be wise to do as your told… for your friends' sakes as well as your own."

Sakura took a deep breath to calm herself and asked a question she had been dreading. "Where do you want me to go? What should I be seeing?"

"I am glad that you asked. Kiru will lead you to the emperor's meeting room. There will be leaders there from every branch of the community will be there. I would like you to sit in and listen but be silent. If I hear one squeak from you, I will send Kiru down to the dungeon and your friends will have a very unpleasant night."

Sakura nodded and followed Kiru out of the door and down a long hallway. She tried to keep track of where they were going but after while all the halls looked the same. Kiru's long strides forced Sakura to run to keep up. She almost ran into Kiru when he stopped abruptly in front of plain – but tall - doors. "Remember your role here, girl. Stand to the side and be silent."

"I remember," Sakura assured him.

No one was in the room when Sakura and Kiru entered. A long table with rows of cushions resting on either side of the table took up the majority of the room. Sakura found a chair in the left corner. She walked over to it and sat down. Kiru nodded and stood beside her.

Slowly, more people began to walk into the room at a trickle. Many people who Sakura did not know filled the table. She did not recognize any of the people in the room from history class but there were a few people who she had seen before:

The councilor was there, of course. Sakura was not surprised to see him. She was surprised to see Aiko. He came in with a large group of people who were garbed in similar robes. Sakura tried her best not to look at him. She did not want anyone to get suspicious.

The table was full but no one said a word. Sakura looked at Kiru, wondering what was going on. The guard's face did not give away any emotion. Sakura was studying his face for any sign of alarm. She did not see the emperor's men enter the room. Sakura jumped slightly as gongs bang to announce the emperor's arrival. The emperor sat on a tall-backed chair and the discussion began.

"Young scribe," the emperor began as he turned to the right, "what is on the agenda for today's meeting?"

"The councilor has asked that a war council meet during today's meeting."

"Very well," the emperor nodded, "Councilor, you may begin."

"Thank you, my Lord. As many of you have heard, the Outer Kingdoms refused to send troops to help the emperor in his war against the Forest Spirit. Now the Outer Kingdoms are refusing to aid the empire in our newest project."

"You're sure that the beasts will aid us?" Asked Aiko in a soft voice, as if he was not sure that he wanted to ask.

"They are bound to me. They will do anything that I ask," the councilor reassured him.

"During the last meeting, you assured us that the Outer Kingdoms would cooperate because of those beasts of yours. How can you be sure that they will listen now?"

"I will unleash all the creatures that I command into the Outer Kingdoms they do not know what they have done. When the Kingdom's inhabitants see the mass destruction, they will truly fear the beasts. They will agree to any terms to avoid them."

"They will only look for something stronger to fight us with," one man argued.

"There is nothing stronger that they can use," the councilor quipt.

"What if all the other kingdoms unite against? Even the large army of beasts would not be enough to stop all of them!"

"What are the odds of all of this happening?" The emperor asked as his powerful voice cut through all the arguing. "The kingdoms have been taxed and taken for centuries. What are the odds of a beast army making them finally decide to work together?"

"That is just the point I was trying to make, your Grace." The councilor spoke with a soothing voice in tones of peaceful blues and mellow yellows. It was as if he was trying to enslave the whole room with his voice. There seemed to be too many people in the room for his rues to be successful but the emperor was falling for it none-the-less.

Sakura sat through the meeting as the groups droned on about more boring issues that Sakura had no interest in. Finally, after about an hour, the meeting was over. All the men exited slowly and deliberately.

The councilor turned to exit but stopped by Aiko's seat and hissed in a loud growl, "Never question me like that again."

Aiko looked down and seemed dutifully chaste as the councilor turned to continue out the door. Still, just before the councilor exited, Aiko turned, "Do you honestly believe that a vicious army will save lives?"

The councilor merely shrugged and left the room.

**Thanks for Reading! Please R and R:**


	16. Chapter 16

**Author's Note: I'm sending out a big thank you to the 145 people who read this story in the month of October. I hope you keep reading and enjoy!**

Kiru led Sakura out of the meeting room. She was allowed to move throughout the palace freely for the rest of the day. Sakura knew that Kiru and the councilor had both told her that she could not go into the dungeons to see her Rormic or her father but she thought that there had to be another entrance into the place.

Sakura walked towards the entrance that Kiru had shown her but guards stopped her before she even reached the hall that lead to the councilor's office. The guards escorted her back to the meeting room. Still, Sakura was sure that there was another enterance. She tried a number of different ways but guards ended up escorting her back each time. After about four or five different attemps, the guards escorted her back to her room and locked her in. Sakura could not help but hear the key scrabe and drive the lock home. She was trapped.

There was not much to do in the room. She paced and watched out the small window. She make a fort out of the bed covers and even counted tiles to keep bordom at bay. Sakura was about to give up and just go to bed when knock sounded at her door.

She opened it a crack; cautiously wondering who it could be. Everyone she could think of would have stormed into the room. She could see a man standing in the darkness of the hall. He wore the robes of an academic and not the heavy leather of a soldier. It was Aiko.

"I apologize for coming unannounced."

"I'm sure that you had a good reason." Sakura held her breath waiting for him to explain.

"I've bribed the guards that stood outside of your room. I have it on good authority that the councilor has persuaded the emperor to do the unthinkable – war has been declared!"

Sakura gasped, knowing that none of the other kingdoms were prepared.

"Use your alliances to warn the others," Aiko waited for her to make a move but Sakura could only stare in confusion.

"What do you mean? What alliances?"

"All of the councilor's 'guests' have some kind of alliance that he uses to his own advantage."

"I don't really know why I am here." An amazing thought bounced through Sakura. "But I think that I know someone who can help. I am not the only 'guest' here. A good friend of mine is in the dungeon."

"Then we must move quickly while there is still enough chaos to keep us hidden."

Sakura remembered the strange door that Kiru had shown her and warned her about… The two of them made their way down to the dungeon. Aiko could feel eyes on his back and he could not shake the feeling of unease. He expected something to jump out and attack him at any moment.

Sakura, on the other hand, walked on in confidence as if she were only going across the block to visit an old friend. Her shoulders were held straight and her eyes sparkled with excitement and happiness.

"Rormic!" She could see him shackled to the wall once she walked down half of the second flight.

Rormic stared at the two of them in shock as they ran down the stairs.

"This is Aiko. We're here to get you out."

"They took him, Sakura," Rormic's voice seemed to mumble in the echo-y gloom of the dungeon as he spoke.

"Took who?"

"Your father." Sakura's face visibly whitened.

"We cannot worry about that right now." Aiko stood between the two of them and spoke. His gaze traveled back and forth between the two. "The councilor is about to start a war. We need to warn the other kingdoms."

"Right," agreed Rormic, jumping into the role of a warrior. "I know a man in a nearby town who owes a few debts to my clan. He will be able to repay that debt by sending out trustworthy messengers to the rulers."

"Rormic!" Sakura yelled as loud as she could. She was getting tired of being ignored. "When did they take my father? Where is he?"

Rormic opened his mouth to answer but stopped mid-sentence as a shuddering rustling drowned out all other sound. The ground shook and the rustling sound was joined by a thundering roar that made Sakura want to cover her ears.

A stampede of various creatures came shuddering towards them. The lines of animals wove in thick torrents like the sea. Sakura was sure that, like the ocean waves, these creatures could destroy the strongest vestal ever made with one storm.

"Run!" Rormic streamed as he pulled Sakura and Aiko after him as he jumped and dives through the mass of beasts entering the dungeon.

The rational part of Sakura told her to run but another, more natural part, said to follow her instincts. Sakura's instincts told her that these creatures were just like the terrible beast that came to her house.

"Wait!" Sakura screamed. Neither Aiko nor Rormic seemed to hear her yell over the noise. Sakura could not wait for the two of them to hear her. She slipped her hand out of Rormic's and ran towards the stampede.

Sakura's thoughts seemed to slide into the collective mind of the beasts."You don't need to do this," she told them. "We will not hurt you."

"The councilor and his deamon minions, he hurts us," one of the largest of the beasts groaned.

"He hurts us too," Sakura said as she gestured to Rormic and Aiko. "We want to help you get away from here… we need to get away from here too."

Hearing this, the largest beast stopped stampeding. The creatures around the large best stopped too. "We will leave this place together…" The large beast said this like a question but he spoke with the hair of authority.

Sakura nodded in agreement. The large beast let out a roar that seemed to dwarf all the previous noise. The creatures all around seemed to understand the call – the plan had changed and freedom was now close at hand. Rormic and Aiko watched Sakura with wide eyes full of surprise.

"How did you do that? No one has been able to calm the beasts that quickly – not even the great sorcerers." Aiko stepped closer to her with each word. The creatures snapped at him as he got closer to Sakura.

"I don't really know… A creature like that came to my home and hurt my parents but he kept acting strange, like he was trying to tell me something. I – I talked to that creature too but I don't know how I said that either."

"What did you tell them?" Rormic asked with wonder in his voice.

"Only that we are on the same side – they want to get away from the councilor just as much as we do." Sakura's gaze darted evenly between Rormic and Aiko as she spoke. Rormic nodded as she went on. He face seemed to brighten in understanding but Aiko's face only got more and more pale.

**Author's Note: Are things starting to come together? Or maybe they are just getting so complicated that confusion and enlightenment are now nothing but a blurred line. **


	17. Chapter 17

"These monsters can be dangerous. Are you sure you know what you are doing?" Aiko looked absolutely ill with his pale face. Sakura would have normally been insulted by his lack of faith in her but she was more concerned with comforting him than anger.

"I've done this before and it worked then," Sakura reassured him.

"Hurry then. We are running out of time. The messengers have to get to the other kingdoms with enough time to warn them. The kingdoms will need time to prepare for an attack."

"There is no need to worry about an attack," the largest of the creatures broke into their conversation. "If you can keep your word," he began, looking straight at Sakura as he spoke, "and help us leave this the councilor's service, than we will rise up and fight his men alongside of the other kingdoms."

"If all of these creatures help the kingdom armies than the councilor's force will certainly fall. His army is large but not large enough to conquer all these beasts along with an army." Aiko began to smile as he spoke. His teeth were a perfect white. Sakura felt a flutter in her stomach but it was instantly calmed by Rormic's reassuring hand.

The three of them were allowed to move freely through the army of creatures. The creatures wanted the three of them to move forward with their plan as soon as possible.

"Now the messenger dilemma is taken care of, we should go and find Sakura's father. Kiru took him to see the councilor hours ago." Rormic saw Sakura's face pale when he mentioned her father. In truth, he was worried about the older man too. Aiko still seemed to be concerned with the messengers.

"The other kingdoms still need to know what is going on. Don't you know anything about Western politics?"

"No, I don't," Rormic told Aiko angrily. "You can see about messengers and Sakura and I will go save her father." Sakura did not argue. She followed Rormic as he ran up the stairs and took a sharp left. The giant doors that lead to the councilor's office had been left unguarded.

Rormic signaled Sakura to get behind him. She quickly moved to do as he instructed. His actions in the past had proved that she could trust him. When he said stop she would stop and when he said go she would run. There was no doubt in her mind that Rormic had her best interest in heart.

Screams sounded from the room. Sakura recognized them instantly as her father's. She moved forward, wanting nothing more than to help him. Still, she stopped when Rormic held out his hand.

He saw the yearning in her eyes and, although he did not want her to get hurt, he could deny her anything. The two of them ran forward and burst into the room.

"Guards!" The councilor called out in a loud voice. The door exploded as man and man entered the room. Every single guard who entered charged directly at Rormic. He tried to ovoid them but they were everywhere. Rormic tried to fight them but there were so many. It did not take long for the guards to overwhelm him.

One man twisted his arms behind his back while another two men held his legs still. Kiru came from behind Rormic's now still body. He grabbed a fistful of Rormic's hair and forced him to look at where the councilor stood. He was right next to the chair where Brad sat.

"I was hoping that the two of you would see since and be more helpful… maybe even join us." The councilor walked slowly to his desk, pulled open a draw and withdrew a jagged-edged knife. He walked back to the chair in which Brad sat very slowly.

"Leave him alo-!" Tried to yell out but Kiru's hand quickly covered his mouth.

"Be quiet, Boy! You missed your chance to be helpful," Kiru's voice hissed close to his ear.

Brad's head was still lulled to the side when the knife went in. Rormic expected him to scream but the only said that Brad made was a small moan. The councilor let go of the knife's handle and left it in the man's thigh as he turned to where the men held Rormic.

"I chose this knife for a special reason. The jagged edges allow the knife to cause more pain going out of the body than going in." The councilor's hand quickly gripped the handle now. He pulled it out with the flourish of a fighter. Brad's mouth opened and closed as if he was gasping for air.

Now Rormic renewed his struggling. Rormic knew in his head that there were too many guards in the room and that struggling would not really make a difference but his instincts screamed at him to do something.

"Now, now," the councilor cooed, standing near Rormic, "you can make it all stop."

Kiru tightened his hold on Rormic's hair and pulled the boy's head back. "Just tell the councilor what he wants to know and no more harm will come to your friend…or the girl."

Rormic stopped struggling at the mention of Sakura. Kiru removed his hand from Rormic's mouth. "You can't hurt her," Rormic's voice got softer as he spoke. He was still out of breath from the earlier struggle. "You need her."

"You're right. We need the girl's help but the man we do not need." The councilor then turned to Sakura. "You would not want to see either of them hurt, would you?"

Sakura did the only thing she could think to do – she screamed as loudly as she could. But it was not a normal, human scream. It was the scream of the beasts; a scream of pure animalistic nature. A scream any beast or creature could understand.

It took seconds for the army of beasts to burst into the room. The councilor's army was trampled and overcome within minutes of the creatures' arrival. Sakura felt hope surge through her heart. They were winning – they were really winning.

Doubt over-powered the hope when the councilor made an unearthly sound of his own. He could talk to the creatures too.

"Do you want to be destroyed? I will summon every deamon on this earth and the next to come destroy you!"

The largest of the monsters laughed. "You are no longer our master." The monster gave a cold smile. "The girl is has the gift as well."

The councilor's eyes widened. "No," he whispered. The councilor looked from Brad's slumped form to the girl. His eyes darted to the charm he had taken. "No!" He screamed now so loudly that it echoed off the stone pillars of the palace. Light burst from him and quickly became a towering flame. It ate away at him. He screamed and writhed in agony. His form got smaller and smaller. Suddenly, a new form took his place. Sakura did not recognize the man's face but his robes told her who he was immediately. It was the emperor.

Rormic turned to run but the office doors slammed shut before he could get near them. "Do not be afraid," he said with a wave of his hand and a bow. "The councilor has deceived me as well.

"It all started long ago when I was a new emperor he convinced me to destroy an entire dynasty. They could talk to all creatures and even make lasting pacts but they would not agree to work for the empire. The councilor convinced me that they needed to be destroyed." The councilor breathed as if he was about to go on but he never got the chance. Brad was instantly awake and shouting.

"You tried to kill Ann and now you're trying to hurt her only daughter! Get away from Sakura."

"Please, let me explain. I have come to make things right." The emperor gestured behind him to a growing black hole. "This is a portal to your earth."

"How do we know that this is not a trick?" Asked Sakura.

Aiko stepped into the room from out of thin air. "I'm the one who told him about all of this. I will go in and look to make sure that it is safe." His whole body disappeared into the portal and came back within seconds. "I am not sure what your earth looks like but the portal opens into a large home with blue walls."

Rormic pulled Sakura close so that he could whisper to her, "I don't trust either one of them." He confessed.

"We have to trust them," Sakura answered loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.

"If you're going," Sakura's father began, "let me go in first."

"No, you're hurt," said Rormic. "I'm a warrior. I'll go in first."

"We'll all go in together," Sakura announced. The three of them clasped hands and disappeared into the dark abyss.

**Author's Note: This section was really long and SOOOO much happened! I hope this makes up for all the short sections. See you again in two weeks Please R and R.**


	18. Chapter 18

2

**Author's Note: A special "thank you" shout-out to the 220 people reading Sakura's story in the months of November!**

**Happy Holidays **

The darkness around them swirled and stirred. Sakura felt dizzy watching everything around her. She wanted to close her eyes to shut out the feeling but the lights sparkling around her forced the girl to keep her eyes open. She felt the hands on either side of her squeeze her hands reassuringly. She squeezed back.

"This is different than the last time," Sakura's father shouted worriedly. The sound of his shout seemed to ricochet off the non-existent walls.

"What was last time like?" Rormic asked in a shakey voice.

"Don't worry," Sakura said, ignoring Rormic's question. "I see our landing."

The swirling lights before them seemed to rip open to reveal a green field that appeared to be completely empty.

Sakura could feel Rormic stiffen beside her as the opening got closer and closer while they seemed to be moving faster and faster. Rormic was anticipating a rough landing and Sakura was inclined to agree. Both of the young teens covered their faces with their arms… And were shocked to find that the rough landing that they were anticipating never occurred. They never touched the ground because they floated several feet above the rocky terrain over the strange landscape.

Sakura wildly waved her arms in shock as she tried to find balance in a world without gravity.

"Don't move," Rormic commanded her in a tone of warning. "The gravity here could crush us if we disturb the wind too much."

"How do you know about all of this?" Sakura's father asked the boy from the Elk Clan. "This place seems to be against all the laws of gravity and physics that I know."

"I just know the stories," Rormic admitted, "but it seems like they are all true."

"It's a good thing that you remember everything that you hear," Sakura began, "but would you mind sharing the story with the rest of us. We're a little confused."

Brad shared a knowing look with his daughter as if trying to thank her silently.

"This one man came to the Clan and I knew that he was different than the other men who normally come through. He said he was a trader but he did not have anything to sell. He wore a bright pink robe with pride." Rormic's eyes seemed to light up as he told the story. Each word seemed to unfold some new expression on his face and some new facet of the tale.

"The man was dressed as any normal trader would but he walked strangely. He moved like he was not used to walking but he had muscles that showed he was used to walking all day. I cannot really explain it but there was something different about this person… Everyone seemed to recognize it.

"The strangeness in everything he did made me want to find him and hear him stories. My mother thought that it was a bad idea and I usually listen to her advice but this time… I really felt that I needed to hear what this man had to say." Rormic stopped for a moment and looked to Sakura and Brad as if looking to see if they understood.

"I went to the stranger and he told him that I snuck out of the Clan to come and see him. He told me that he left his home to find me and others like me."

"People who aren't people?" Asked Sakura, remember how confused she was when he first explained the concept to her.

Rormic nodded as if his simple nod explained everything but Sakura knew that nothing could make her understand this mess.

**Author's Note: Sorry this update is short. I have to take a break from this fanfic for a little while… I PROMISE that I will continue it! It just won't be updated regularly for a little while. Post comments or send me a message if you have a good idea or a suggestion for how the story should continue. **

**Thank you guys! **


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

**Author's Note: Thank you for sticking with me, Readers. I will update the story AT LEAST once a month. I will try to update more often but I cannot promise anything. Thank you for being patient and for continuing to read. Enjoy **

"People who aren't people?" Asked Sakura, remember how confused she was when he first explained the concept to her.

Rormic nodded as if his simple nod explained everything but Sakura knew that nothing could make her understand this mess.

Sakura and Brad nodded in understanding. Sakura knew what it was like to feel like you were alone in the world and that you would be alone for all time. Brad could understand the feeling even though he always knew his place. Neither father nor daughter spoke. They wanted the silence to encourage Rormic to continue.

"I got excited, thinking that he was exactly like me and asked him what Clan he was from. The man only laughed and said that me predicament was simple compared to his. The traveler said that he not only travels through strange lands but also through different times and planes.

"I did not believe him, of course. I asked him to describe the land that he was from. He told me about lush green fields separated by rocky areas and surrounded by mountains. He said that the mountains were not lie anything that I had ever seen: the rocks and stones were white and the snow actually looked dark by comparison."

"All of this I could believe – one land looking different from another just makes since – but then the traveler went into more detail. He told me that people float above the land because the gravity, whatever that is, is different. I began to doubt his story then but things only got stranger as the story went on.

"There are strange creatures on this land as well. Some creatures fly and swoop down to kill unsuspecting travelers and other creatures burrow underground. I thought that this idea sounded crazy because of the gravity thing but the traveler went on to explain that the creatures jump up out of the earth to eat travelers while they are walking."

"It sounds like everything here wants to kill us," Sakura said sadly.

"Don't worry," Brad said in his fatherly voice. "The traveler had to come from a town on this planet. If we find some people, we might be able to get back home."

Sakura smiled, finding new confidence in her father's words. "Did the man say anything about his hometown, Rormic?"

"He said he had five brothers and five sisters. His home sits on top of a hill where three trees float above the soil. He would not tell me his family name but he had an odd given name so I do not think that we will need it."

"What was the name?"

"He said that everyone called him Dave."

Sakura sighed in frustration. "Dave is a common name where we are from." Sakura gestured to her father and herself as she spoke but Rormic was not looking at her.

"I think I see one of those creatures," Rormic said the words with fear in his voice but he spoke softly as if he were afraid that he would scare the creature.

"That is one of the creatures!" Sakura yelled, grabbing Rormic's wrist and pulling him behind one of the large stones. She could only pray that the stone would be enough to hide them from the creature.

"Did you see a flying creature?" Sakura could not imagine how he could see an underground creature but one could never tell with Rormic – he was a human and wasn't at the same time after all.

"I saw a shadow moving over the side of those mountains there," Rormic pointed to the lowest mountains that Sakura could see.

"Come on," Brad motioned. "We need to find some cover. A flying monster will see anything hiding behind of a rock. We need to get under something." Sakura looked at her father as if he had a trout tied to his head because he seemed to find a voice of reason even when the world around them seemed to literally be falling apart. Sakura was busy questioning all that she thought she knew while her father seemed to find something a _little_ more useful to do.

"I can't see any trees or bushes to get under," Sakura stated as she looked around her.

"There might be a cave or something by the mountains. That's where the best hiding places were at home." Rormic said to go to the mountains as if it was a simple request but going towards the mountains also meant going closer to the flying monster that was trying to kill them.

"We can't get closer to that thing!"

"Why not?" Rormic asked. "You can just talk the monster like you did in my world and explain everything." Sakura began to consider the idea – all she had to do was talk to the creature and all their problems would be solved.

"That is a big risk," Brad said looking from Rormic to Sakura for a few minutes. Finally, his eyes stopped and rested on Sakura. The next words he spoke were to her alone. "I know that you think that you can do anything but this is not simple. You have only just figured out that you have these powers. Now, you want to use them on a strange creature in a strange place where we are not even sure if your powers work. This is a big risk that we do not have to take."

"Maybe I want to take the risk. I want to see what I can do." Sakura looked straight at her father as she spoke. Their eyes locked and Sakura could see the begging doubt that ate away at her father.

"I know that you can do anything that you put your mind to but that does not mean that you have to do it. There is no reason to test yourself or your new power." Brad spoke with such calm reassurance that Sakura could not argue with him.

"Let's go look for a cave," Sakura consented.

Rormic smiled, feeling relief that he no longer had to worry about a possible fight. Still, the relief did not last long. "The hard part will be getting to the mountains to look. There is no possibility for hiding in an open field."

Sakura looked around and saw that Rormic was right – there was nothing but an open field between the three of them and the mountains.


	20. Chapter 20

**Author's Note: Here's the February update, readers. I think that I will be able to update the story again in a few weeks! I am working extra hard because two people added Sakura's story to their favorites list… Please read and enjoy **

Fear clouded all of their eyes but Brad spoke up with a voice full of confidence. "We should head out all at once in different directions. We can meet up again once we get under the cover of trees."

"Sounds like a plan," agreed Rormic. "We won't be able to be picked off one by one. The monster might get one of us but it won't get us all."

Rormic said all of this with a smile but Sakura could not help but feel like they were settling. "There has to be a way for us to distract the monster without getting ourselves killed."

"We don't have much to work with," Sakura's did reminded her.

"How can the two of you see losing _only one_ us as a good thing?" Sakura was so upset that her voice broke as she asked them.

"Look," Rormic said in a placating tone. "You're making more out of this than you need to." He put his hand on her shoulder to give comfort. "I am a fast runner. I'll go out and distract the monster. You and Brad can run in different directions after me. The monster won't even see the two of you and I can get to the cover of those trees in the blink of an eye. No one is doing to get eaten by the monster. You need to stop worrying."

Sakura sighed, knowing that Rormic was right but she shook her head… She could not accept the almost certain death of either her father or of her only friend as a possible outcome.

Brad could see that his daughter was struggling with the idea that they were out of options. Everything Rormic said was true and Sakura needed to accept the truth before they were out of time. The monster would eventually see them weather they moved or not. Brad knew that the only thing that he could do was to tell Sakura the truth.

"You know that I normally agree with you, honey but this is what we have to do. I don't really like this option either but the only other choice is to stay here where we will all surely die. Splitting up is our best chance."

Sakura nodded. She had known he was right for awhile but she was hoping to delay things for awhile, give her brain more time to come up with a better plan. Sakura was both sad and resigned to see that her time was out. Sakura knew that it was going to happen – time always moves – but she had hoped that it would be more than enough time to come up with a plan that kept both her father and Rormic from running head-first into the jaws of death.

"I'll run out and you two start running when I whistle. Be ready to bolt quickly. I will signal you as soon as the monster seems focused on me." Sakura could tell that Rormic was nervous. She assumed that he was nervous for himself but the truth was that he was thinking about the danger he was bringing her into.

Sakura and Rormic looked into each other's eyes, each of them feeling nothing but fear and concern for the other. Sakura would have ran to Rormic and kissed him if her father were not standing a mere few feet away. Rormic did not have so many qualms though. He calmly walked to Sakura and hugged her tightly. His mouth brushed her ear tenderly as he whispered, "don't worry."

Sakura continued to hold him as she nodded. She wanted to hold on to this moment and ignore the world around her but the moment was short-lived. Her father cleared his throat nervously watching the monster in the sky. Rormic gently pushed Sakura away.

"Time to get started," Rormic said in a way that made Sakura wonder if he was asking her father or simply telling him. Part of Sakura wanted to wrap her arms around Rormic again and beg him not to go – she could not shake the feeling of unease that continued to rise in her stomache. The rational side of Sakura was telling her that Rormic had to go and that this may be the only chance they would get.

"I know you have to go," Sakura began, "but I am worried about this plan."

"It will be fine," Brad reassured her with words as he squeezed her shoulder for moral support.

Sakura nodded and tried not to cry while Rormic sprinted forward. He assumed that he would have to whistle or stumble… he thought that he would have to do something to get the monster's attention. Rormic could not hide a surprised gasp when the monster dove toward him after he took only a handful of akward steps.

The monster's tail passed all too close to Sakura and Brad's heads. They were hiding in tall grass lying low so that no one could see them. Rormic tried to put as much room between his friends and the monster as possible. Rormic ran as fast as he could; he ran as if the whole Elk Clan were beside him but a wolf was behind him. His steps were confidant but he sped as if he was running for his life… because he was.

Rormic managed to weave and bob in a figure eight motion. He could see that the monster's full attention was on him and that the monster was angry – he would have the monster's attention for awhile now. Rormic knew that this was the chance he had been waiting for. He whistled to signal his friends. It was their time to run. The dragon-monster would not turn its eyes away from him even if the two of them made more noise than a snoring Bore Demon.

Rormic was so relieved that his friends would soon make it to the safety of the dense tree line near the mountains. He felt all the tenseness that he did not know that he was holding release itself. His legs though tired from running, came into a renewed life. He remembered clinging to Sakura only a short while ago… He remembered feeling the same lightness when she touched him.

Rormic's mind flew through all the tender moments and soft smiles he and Sakura had shared as he ran. Rormic continued to run as he had before – in a serpentine fashion. He assumed that if it worked before, it would work again. Rormic was confidant and that confidence would be his downfall. He was not thinking about the dragon. Rormic's thoughts wondered in his confidence. He did not even see that the monster right behind him until a clawed foot gripped his waist like a vise.

**Author's Note: Sorry to leave you all with another cliff hanger but I really want your opinion. What should happen next?**


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

**Author's Note: Hi Guys! Here is the second February update that I promised **

Rormic did not even notice that the monster was right behind him until a taloned foot gripped his waist like a vice. He struggled and twisted in the clawed foot until he heard a scream sound from below…

Brad had been hit! Rormic renewed his struggles with vigor, calling down to his friends and punching at the beast's claws. Sakura was calling out Brad's name and running to his side. Rormic could tell that Brad was hurt badly even though he was high up.

He called down to Sakura, "Is he alive?" Rormic could not hear her answer. He could hardly see her form now, he was so high up. "I'm coming down to help."

Rormic searched through his pockets and sleeves, looking for anything that could be used as a weapon. He could not find much to use. There was nothing in his pocket but a sharp stick was attached to the bottom of his pants.

Rormic took the stick in both hands and stabbed it into the monster's hand as hard as he could. The monster screeched from the pain in his hand. His grip on Rormic loosened and Rormic wiggled his way out. Unfortunately, Rormic forgot how high up he was. Rormic began to fall through the air. Sakura and Brad looked up. They were helpless as they watched the whole thing from far away.

The monster dipped down after the falling boy. Claws wrapped around Rormic's ankles only a few meters from the ground. Rormic tried to jab that monster's hand again but every time he bent in half to reach, the monster would swing him so that he could not aim.

Rormic could hear Sakura calling out his name even as she knelt beside her injured father. He took in a breath to call back but that breath was knocked out of him by the tall branch of a tree. His body's instinct was to double over but gravity prevented him from even that small comfort. He tried to catch his breath but it was hard. The monster swung him to and fro through the chilly air.

Rormic thought that he might be sick or throw up if the monster jerked him through the air again. Luckily, the monster dipped closer to the ground and dropped him. Rormic landed with a grunt. His body ached but he tried to scramble to his feet. Rormic knew that the monster would be on him in moments but he had to try…for Brad and for Sakura.

Rormic made it to his feet and tensed his body to sprint. He did not take a step before the monster's foot hit his back and knocked him down once more. "Gaah!" Rormic cried out in effort and frustration. He struggled to get out from under the monster but none of his struggles seemed to have any effect.

"Calm down, human." The monster commanded. Rormic's struggles stopped instantly.

"You can talk?" He asked the monster in wonder; his voice already breathless from the previous struggle.

"You humans have forgotten so much." The monster took two steps away from Rormic and breathed steam. Rormic could not see very clearly but what he saw was shocking all on itsown. The monster's form slowly shrank into that of a human. The human had long black hair that was tied loosly in the back. He wore simple clothes in rich material. The monster-turned-human looked like he was a great warrior or maybe even a king.

Rormic recovered from the shock of the change quickly enough to relize that the monster could not grip him as he had before. He took off and sprinted away from the strange human. All Rormic's focus was on moving forward so he did not see the small smile that played on the former monster's lips. He moved in a flash, moving in front of Rormic in the blink of an eye.

"I would not try running, boy. I will only catch you and bring you back." The former monster reached out and held the shocked Rormic by the scruff of his neck. The larger human marched Rormic toward a cave near where they had landed. "You are making this harder for yourself." Rormic remained silent as he walked. He could see that his original plan would not work in this situation. He needed to plan but he had no information.

"What do you want with me? A good meal?" Rormic tried to sound brave but he could not keep the quiver from his voice.

"I assure you, I abhor the taste of humans. I will not eat you."

"Than what do you want with me?"

"You'll have to wait for the answers to that question."

Rormic stopped and firmly planted his feet on the ground. "I'm not moving until you tell me."

The monster's strong human hand tightened his grip on the back of Rormic's neck. He gragged Rormic forward with one hand as if it were no effort at all. "Oh, you'll move alright."

Rormic tried to stop. He dug his heels into the dirt and moved his hands to the monster's wrist. He stratched and dug at the hand that held him but the grip never loosened and the sure stride never slowed. The two of them reached the cave all too quickly for Rormic's liking.

"Again, you choose to make things hard for yourself." The creature spoke as if he regretted Rormic's decision but the hold on Rormic's neck remained strong. The monster turned to the side to find a long length of rope. With one hand the creature wrapped Rormic's chest and arms and tied the rope in a firm knot. The hand on Rormic's neck did not release him until his hands and feet were tied similarily.

"It has been a long day already," the creature stated simply. "You should rest."

Rormic shook his head in a firm no but the creature breathed fire onto a small case of incents. The monster transformed back into a monster and took to the skies as soon as the box was lit. Rormic already felt the effect of the fragrant stuff.

Rormic's head swam and it was hard to hold onto any thoughts. It was like trying to carry water in one hand. Nothing was solid. Consciousness was slipping away. Rormic could not help but feel like he was forgetting something when a soft smile flashed in his mind's eye. "Sakura," he whispered as unconsciousness took him.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

**Author's Note: New record guys! Over 250 people read this story in February 2012 Keep up the good work Readers!**

Rormic would have been proud to see how Sakura had managed to pull her father to the relative safety of the mountain forests. The man was over twice her size but she had pulled and tugged until the man had made it to safety.

Sakura remembered training to be a messenger in the forest – it felt like all that happened a life-time ago. She remembered her first-aid training and worked through a fog of shock. It was like her body knew what to do automatically while her brain was still in shock.

She tried not to think about all that had happened but her brain could not turn off. There were just too many problems. Rormic was kidnapped and maybe even eaten by a dragon. Her father was lying in a make-shift tent in the middle of nowhere, injured. Brad tried to tell her that he was not hurt badly but Sakura could see the pinched pain in his face. She needed to help him…

The messenger training told her that a number of plants could be used to stop pain and even quicken the healing process. She could only pray that the plants that she needed were in this strange world as well as the old one. She looked through the forest, trying not to stray too far from the tent where she had left her father.

Sakura had to travel farther than she had expected to find the plants she needed. She did not want to leave her father alone long but she needed the plants. She ran through the forest, her eyes scanning the woods around her for the plants that she needed.

"Blue flowers and yellow stems," she reminded herself aloud. Her breath caught in relief when she finally spotted the plant that she needed. It took her mere seconds to pick the flower and dig up the roots. The moss she needed had been easy to find. Now, all she wanted to do was get the supplies back to her father.

She ran into the tent and to her father's side. "I need to mix these together and then you will start to feel better."

He did not seem to notice that she was there. Brad's eyes remained close and moans escaped his dry lips. Sakura placed a hand on his forehead. She pulled the now clammy hand away after feeling the unmistakable heat of a fever.

(Page Break)

Rormic slowly came to. He groaned and tried to move his hand to ease the pressure in his head. He felt the pull of rope all around his arms, chest, wrists and ankles. The events of the past two days came flying back to him. He remembered the dragon that could turn into a man…

Rormic tried to fight the rising panic inside of him. He was not in the same room he fell was put asleep in – the opening of the cave could no longer be seen. Flickering torches lit the small nook Rormic currently found himself in. He thought he was still in the cave but there was only one way to be sure. Rormic began to pull against the ropes. The knots were strong and the rope itself did not give but he did not stop pulling even when blood flowed from beneath the rope.

"I knew humans were stubborn but I thought that you would learn," the former dragon spoke to Rormic as he entered the nook. "Still making things harder for yourself."

Rormic stopped struggling when he heard the voice. He wanted to leave this place and get back to his friends but he needed information first. "You still haven't told me what you want."

"I doubt you even know what you are." The former dragon spoke in a suppior tone that annoyed Rormic more than any noise he had heard before. "If you did, there would be no need for your questions. The pieces should all fit together nicely. I made my identity quite clear for you."

"I know that you're a dragon and you told me that I'm a human. What does that have to do with anything?"

The former dragon laughed, actually laughed, at Rormic's statement. "I am only a dragon in form. In truth, I am a Fire Spirit. You know less than I had thought… The real question is: do you know what you are?"

"Stop playing games and let me go!"

"I will not demean myself by negotiating with a prick who cannot be reasoned with! Calm yourself, boy. Or would you prefer it if I burnt more incents?"

Rormic took in a deep breath to calm and steady himself. "You know who I am?"

"You can learn and use reason. Very good." The tall form of a man began to walk out of the nook with a satisfied smile.

"Wait! Please," Rormic called desperately.

"You will help me," the dragon in man's form declared. "As an In-between, you can sence where the portals are. You will lead me to them. The traveler tried to warn you but you did not listen."

"Why should I help you?"

The creature smiled, revealing pointed teeth. "You will be rewarded, of course. A whole world of imbeciles will be conquered. A small piece will be your's."

Rormic tried not to sow his shock. "What if I won't show you where the portals are?"

"You will regret it. I know how to employ pain to my advantage." Rormic unsuccessfully tried to hide a shudder. "I will give you some time to think my offer over." With that, the man left Rormic, still tied in the corner, with nothing but a miniscule lantern to light the darkness.


	23. Chapter 23

**Author's Note: Thank you Readers! Sakura's story has been getting more hits – over 250 in March! Thanks guys and keep spreading the word!**

Rormic did not know how long had been sitting in the cave. He could not move his legs and they quickly fell asleep. Hours later, the tingling was now becoming painful. He kept trying to loosen the ropes wrapped around him but the struggling seemed to only tighten them.

The lantern that rested beside Rormic was getting low but he still saw a shadow coming toward him. Rormic assumed that the shadow belonged to the Fire Spirit… his captor. As the shadow got closer, Rormic knew that it could not belong to the spirit. It was much too small.

A huddled figure in a thick black cloak came up to the still, tied figure of Rormic and pulled him into a standing position. The figure's hand held Rormic's shoulder in a painfully strong grip but after pulling him up, the figure let go and Rormic immediately fell to the floor. Rormic's hands were tied and could not catch him so he landed on his face and groaned on the floor.

"Stand up, boy!" The figure's voice rasped the orders to Rormic in a tone that left no room for questioning. "The Master has demanded that you be healthy."

Rormic struggled to get to his feet and asked, "Is the Fire Spirit your master?"

"No questions! Now stand before I hurt you."

"How is standing going to make me healthy?"

Lightning shot out of the figure's fingers and struck Rormic. He held in a scream but could not stop the tears of pain from filling his eyes. "I said no questions. Stand and be silent before I shoot you with another."

Rormic shut his mouth and managed to balance on his tied feet. His eyes glowed fiercely with unsaid retorts but he kept his mouth closed. The raspy-voiced figure spoke in a language Rormic had never heard before. He wanted to back up but could not move on his bound feet. A strange feeling came over him. His whole body tingled and was covered with warmth. By the time the chant stopped, Rormic felt energy surge through his body.

"I've healed you as the Master demanded. Lay down now. He should come to see you in a few hours."

"You're a witch!" Rormic explained in shock. He opened his mouth to ask the rasping figure before him a cascade of questions but none of them made it out of his mouth. The witch shot him with another jolt of lightning. The shocking pain lasted longer than the previous one. All the energy that had been revived in him after the healing seemed to leave after the healing. He moaned and sag to the floor.

"I told you to be silent, boy. You would do well to learn obedience. The Master is not nearly as lenient as I." Rormic heard a smile in the witch's voice but he could not see her face through the heavy hood of her cloak.

Rormic attempted to stand again but the witch gave him a small shock before he got far. "I told you to rest. Do as I say or I will be forced to waste my magic on you."

Rormic heard the threat in her voice. He decided that it would be best to do what she said to avoid getting shocked and hopefully, get information that would allow him to escape. He kneeled on the floor and lowered himself to a laying position. The witch rasped out a laugh and grabbed the lantern as she left him in the dark.

Rormic tried not to fall asleep but his body begged for rest. He could not remember the last time he ate and he had been shot with lightning four times by a witch. His body needed time to recuperate but he wanted to be ready when the Fire Spirit came to visit him. He fought to keep his eyes open but it did not take long for his tired body to win out.

It did not take long for the pompous voice of the Master to wake him. Rormic felt like he had not slept at all. "Glad to see that you are resting. The dark witch told me that you were not learning obedience but it seems she is wrong. You can learn after all." The dragon smiled his false smile that made Rormic want to jump at him. Rormic fought to restrain himself and keep his anger in check as the Master continued. "You have had adequate time to reflect and refresh yourself. The continuation of our previous conversation can no longer be delayed. Answer my question now: are you willing help me get to the portals?"

"I can't take you to the portals if you won't tell me why you want to go there."

"You are in no position to make demands." The Master kicked Rormic's stomach to make sure he understood his position. "I have been nothing but a gracious host. You have had the best care possible…"

"You must be joking!" Rormic was shocked to hear the Master's words. "You kidnapped me, tied me up and had a witch attack me!" Rormic would have listed more of the rude things the Master had done to him but a vicious kick was delivered to his stomach for the second time that day.

The breath flew out of Rormic's body. He tried to catch his breath but the Master did not give him much time. A punch was delivered to his chin, throwing his head back into the rock wall.

"You understand nothing, boy! If you do not lead me to the portals, I will return to the valley and find your two friends. You might think that you can suffer to save a world but I doubt that you will let your friends suffer too." Eyes glowed with shock through Rormic's bloody, pain pinched face. Rormic would have stopped breathing if he had any breath in him.

The Master smiled down at him. "I know more about you than you imagine, Rormic. I know more about you than you know about yourself. I know how to make you help me but I am hoping that you will make the choice without that type of motivation. I will leave you now so that you may contemplate my proposal. If you continue to refuse it is your friends who will suffer."

"Leave them alone," Rormic managed to gasp out.

"I told you already, Rormic, you are in no position to make demands." The Master laughed as he left Rormic in darkness, yet again.


	24. Chapter 24

**Author's Note: Sorry I'm a little late with this update. I made this section a little longer to make it up to you **

Sakura beat the plants into a pulp as quickly as she could. Her father's temperature continued to rise and his moans grew more numerous. She was worried about him and could only pray that she could give him the medicine before it was too late. She hoped his body was strong enough to continue to fight the illness. The medicine would only help if his body was still fighting.

"Drink this, Dad," Sakura demanded; quickly moving the bowl to his lips. He began to swallow the liquid in the bowl. The bowl was emptying quickly. Sakura took her father's thirst as a good sign. Exhaustion was not his first need and his willingness to swallow the sour medicine proved that he was ready to fight if he needed to.

Her worry for her father lessened even if it did not vanish… Sakura felt worry for Rormic well up within her. Concern for her father had filled her only a short time ago. Now that her father seemed to be on the mend, fear for Rormic took its' place. Sakura had no idea where the monster had taken him or if he was even alive. All she could do was close her eyes and pray.

She quickly felt overwhelmed. Tears flowed from her eyes and down her cheeks like a faucet. She wanted to help her friend but she did not know where to begin and she could not leave her father alone in this strange place. She left helpless, hopeless and lost… Sakura fell asleep crying that night.

(Page Break)

Rormic could not fall asleep after the Master had visited him even though he longed for sleep. It was not that Rormic was especially tired … he wanted to fall into sleep so that he would not have to think about the Master's threats and demands. Still, sleep evaded him.

Every second that ticked by felt like a minute. Rormic feared that he would go insane if he had to endure an entire night like this… "What time is it in the outside world?" Rormic asked himself, realizing that he had no idea about the real time of day.

His thoughts were coming at him in a mile a minute but he willed his mind to slow. Rormic was just starting to relax when he saw a light coming toward him. It was the witch, still holding the lantern she had taken from him after she "healed" him.

"Master said that you should be sleeping," she laughed in a raspy cackle as if she had told him a joke. "You'll need your strength for tomorrow. You'll be leading the Master to the portals, you will!"

"I won't take your Master to the portals until I see that my friends are safe," Rormic told her defiantly.

"Still think you can be demanding things of the Master, do ya? Well, you'll soon learn otherwise." The witch sent other lightning bolt at him but it only lasted a few seconds – Rormic did not want to admit that they were some of the most painful seconds of his life.

"The Master says that you need to rest so you will rest." The witch began to chant in the strange language again. Rormic tried to back away from the witch but his bound body prevented him from moving too quickly. He backed up further and further until his back touched the rock wall. His movements did not help at all – Rormic's eyes began to drop as soon as the witch finished her chant.

Rormic was not sure how long he had slept but light filled the nook the Master had left him in by the time he awoke. The Master was sitting on a chair in the middle of the small opening separating the large room from Rormic's nook.

"Our guest is awake, Hattie!" The Master called much too loudly for Rormic's ears. "Have you made a decision about helping me? I assumed that your choice would be a simple one but Hattie tells me that you feel that the choice is a bit of a conundrum."

"I won't help unless you can prove that my friends are safe."

"What type of proof do you want?"

"I want to see them." Rormic expected the Master to refuse his request or even kick or shock him but the Master only smiled.

"I was hoping you would say that. Come see." The Master turned the back wall into a screen. Pictures of vast fields appeared and even began to move and sway. It looked like the Master had stolen these pictures from a bird.

"What magic is this?" Rormic cried out in fear!

"Watch the pictures, Rormic. You are about to see your friends." Rormic leaned forward to see the pictures more clearly. Rormic swore that he would make the Master pay if Sakura or Brad were hurt. The aerial pictures swayed and dipped, making Rormic dizzy. Finally, Rormic began to see familiar scenes.

He saw the valley where he had run from the dragon only a few days ago. "I am a skilled tracker but I have to admit that it took me quite some time to find your friends." The scene swerved and changed to show dense forests. There was a small shelter made of shabby cloth and sticks.

Rormic gasped when he saw Brad lying inside of the tent. Brad's skin was grey and his feverish moans filled the air. Sakura sat beside her father and was forcing him to drink from a small wooden bowl. Rormic could see everything like he was there – right beside them in the shelter. "Sakura!" He called out to her, hoping against hope that she could find him.

"Do not interrupt," the Master demanded. "They are unable to hear your pleads, anyway. Do as I instructed. Sit and watch."

Rormic did not want to anger the Master anymore than he had to so he sat quietly and watched. Sakura ministered to her father but she did not seem to be making any progress in bringing the fever down.

"What did you do? Why isn't he getting better?"

"The spikes on my tail struck him. The spikes are poisoned. The girl knows a little about medicine but not enough to heal anything this complex. Your friend will most likely parish."

Rormic's face turned ashen. The Master's words echoed in Rormic's head but he refused to believe the man. The pictures he was seeing might not even be real. Brad and Sakura could be resting in a cave nearby, safe and sound.

Rormic struggled to push the disheartening words from his mind but the Master would not leave him in peace. "I may be able to heal your friend if you bring me to the portals. It sounds like a fair trade, yes?"

"I won't help you unless I can see Sakura. I do not know if these pictures are real but if my friend told me that her father needed help …" Rormic stopped, letting his sentence hang. He was unwilling to tell the Master that he would lead him to the portals outright but he could not say that he would let Brad die either.

"Maybe I need to show you the images again, Rormic? Do you enjoy seeing your friend in misery?" The fall glowed with a scene once more it repeated the same few seconds over and over. Brad was sweating and groaning. His cries of pain and anguish filled the small nook.

Rormic turned his face away, looking once more for a way out. "You told me they would be safe! How do I know any of this is true?"

The Master smiled then and Rormic's heart was filled with defiance – how could he smile while Brad suffered. "Believe that if your friends are not suffering now, they will be after you refuse my request." Rormic's heart chilled colder than an arctic winter.

"Hattie!" The Master's booming voice called. The witch appeared in seconds. "Keep our guest company while he considers our proposal. Make sure that he understands what will happen to his friends if he refuses." With those menacing words, the Master left.

**Author's Note: Thank you to the over 400 readers! Hope your enjoying Sakura's story. If you would like to see something different (ex: more love scenes or more fighting/chase scenes). **


	25. Chapter 25

The witch, Hattie, knelt next to Rormic. Even though the witch's face was only a few inches away from his own, Rormic could not see a single detail. The black hood continued to hide everything. Rormic moved his bound hands as high as he could in a quick, jerking motion to pull down her hood.

Rormic could not explain why he felt the need to see the witch's face. He knew that it was irrational and a little childish to care so much but at the same time, the mystery gave Hattie and the Master power over Rormic. Rormic was tired of feeling helpless and powerless. He needed a victory, even if it needed to be a small one.

Rormic smiled when he saw the witch's wrinkly face. She looked like a normal human. Her mundane features made him smile but Rormic's smile quickly turned into a grimace.

The witch's fingers pulled on Rormic's hair until he was in an upright position. Her face was uncomfortably close to Rormic's ear but she screamed into it. "Listen and listen well, Boy. You might think that you and your little friends can refuse the Master's generous offers but I am here to show you that refusal will only lead to your death!"

Waves of pain erupted all over Rormic's body. He could not tell if the witch was shocking him or putting some other spell on him. All Rormic knew was that he hurt. He thought he had cried out but he could not be sure… Pain filled every sense. He could not taste, hear or see because the pain was so great.

Darkness formed in the corners of Rormic's vision. Rormic thought that he should be worried but he welcomed the unconsciousness that would come. As long as he could escape the pain! Hattie stopped the pain right before the dizziness took him. He breathed deeply and tried not to moan or cry in relief.

"Don't get to comfortable. We're not finished yet." Hattie's raspy voice seemed to come from all around him. Even though the pain was no longer sweeping through him, Rormic's since were still not at their normal level. Still, he heard the witch's words and he shuddered at their meaning. Another round of pain pulsed through him. This time he knew that he screamed. The pain was so great that he continued to scream and the witch refused to stop until Rormic could not scream anymore.

His throat and voice were beyond horse but the pain in his throat was nothing compared to the pain in his chest. Rormic could feel his heart shoot against his bruised rib cage and every pump hurt.

Rormic's back had arched up and hit the ground so many times while the witch tortured him… Now Rormic's back was scratched and bleeding along with the back of Rormic's arms. He could feel the blood pool under him.

Rormic tried to think through his haze of pain but the blood loss, coupled with exhaustion and a lack of food; forced Rormic from this world.

He dreamed of Sakura. She was in a small shelter with her father just like the images on the wall showed him. Sakura was kneeling next to her father who looked no better. The cuts on Brad's chest looked swollen and sore. His breathing was labored. Suddenly, a giant dragon burst through the rickety walls. Sakura's screams filled the air. Rormic saw the dragon tear into Brad further. Sakura ran to stop the dragon and was attacked herself. She yelled out Rormic's name…

Rormic awoke in physical pain and emotional turmoil. Blood still flowed down his back and Sakura's scream still rang in his ears. The Master was sitting in a chair as he had been before. The tall man's eyes never left Rormic's face.

"I would hate to have to hurt your friends," the dragon-turned-man said in a sympathetic voice.

"You don't really know where they are." Rormic said the phrase with more conviction than he felt but he continued to tell himself that it couldn't be true.

"Are you willing to take that chance? With your friends' lives and the lives of countless strangers?" The Master smiled down at Rormic. The dragon knew that Rormic was running out of options.

"Prove that Brad and Sakura are safe. Prove that you haven't already killed them. Then, and only then, will I consider leading you to the portals."

The Master could see that he was not going to get any further with Rormic for now. He stood up and motioned to the witch who stood in the large room beyond the nook.

"Make sure that our guest gets some rest."

The truth was that Brad and Sakura were still in their shelter near the mountains. The monster had not visited them but Brad's injuries were not getting better. Sakura fed him as many different types of plants as she dared. She fed him plants to help stop infection, plants to bring down fever, plants to relieve pain, plants to fight sickness, plants to send a patient into a healing sleep… but none of the plants she fed him seemed to help in any way. He was not getting better.

Sakura was considering traveling to look for a settlement where a real doctor could treat her father. It did not seem like her limited knowledge could help him. Sakura did not want to travel far. She was not sure if Rormic would come back. Sakura would not even entertain the idea that he was already dead… He had to be alive and he would find her and her father waiting for him at the spot they had agreed upon. Still, she had to do something. She needed help. Sakura decided that traveling a short distance would be permissible… hopefully.

She left the tent, trying to decide with direction would be most likely to lead to a settlement, and was shocked when a tall, nicely dressed man appeared before her. It was as if he came out of thin air but she did not question his appearance. Sakura had more important matters on her mind.

"What village are you from?" She asked him before she could even see him clearly.

"I live near here."

"Is there a doctor at your village?"

"A knowledgeable female healer shares a residence with me."

Sakura's heart leapt with joy and strung with hope. Her father had a chance. "My father is sick. If you could just give me directions to a healer –

The man interrupted Sakura and asked a question of his own. "What are you doing out in the middle of nowhere?"

"I am looking for a lost friend. He is of the Elk Clan. As soon as my father is well we can resume the search."

"Then come," the man said motioning with a wave of his hand. "We must get your father to a healing so that the search for your companion can continue."

Sakura helped her father to his feet and they followed the man without questioning his motives.


	26. Chapter 26

Rormic awoke to strange noises in the darkness. Wind blew and rustled his air. I must be near the entrance again, Rormic thought to himself. He tried to climb to his feet and was disappointed to see that he was still bound at the feet. His wrists were tied loosely in front of him and his upper arms were no longer attached to his chest. Rormic wiggled his legs and tried to crawl forward.

The process was slow but he was making progress. Rormic finally felt like he was doing something after all the days in the Fire Spirit's cave. He thought that he was fighting and fighting but he was not accomplishing a thing… now he had a goal that he could accomplish. Hope gave him strength as it surged through his veins.

Rormic felt a tug on his ankles. He turned around quickly while his heart stopped with fear. Could someone have seen him in this immense darkness? He twisted to try to loosen the pull but nothing seemed to change. Rormic bent back to grab at whatever hand was latched onto his ankle. He was surprised to find that his hand only held rope. There were several layers of ropes around his ankles and a thick woven strand leading the opposite direction.

Rormic wound have crawled back to find where the rope was tethered but the defining sound of the wind distracted him. This can't be from wind, Rormic thought. The sound must be from something else. Rormic turned towards the noise and saw a bright light coming from the same direction and getting closer and closer to him.

It did not take long to see that the light came from the Master in his dragon form. He saw the wings of the dragon fiercely flapping and realized that the strange wind had come from him as well. He was disappointed to see that he was nowhere near the exit.

The wind had not come from outside and the light revealed that he was in the middle of a deep crevice. The thick bindings would prevent him from climbing the walls. The possibility of escape was looking less and less likely. Rormic could not help but shiver when the Master turned toward him. Rormic remembered the pain from the Master's last visit. Surprisingly, the Master did not land. He only flew over Rormic and dropped something into the crevice with him.

Rormic tried to crawl toward whatever had fallen. He wanted to get a closer look before whatever it was attacked. He could hardly see a thing in the dark but he did not need to see to know what the thing was when a noise lifted into the air. The thing was a mere arm's reach from him when it whispered, "Rormic?"

He recognized the voice. "Sakura?" He said in shock more than curiosity. She dove to him and wrapped her arms around his neck and waist.

"I thought you were dead. I was so afraid." Rormic could hear the tears in her voice when she spoke but he could not let himself get distracted in comforting her.

"You have to get out of here."

"He said that a doctor lived here who could help my father. He is so sick, Rormic. Nothing I did helped him at all!"

"I will get Brad away from them but you have to leave here. There is a portal that leads back to your world. You need to leave and get into the East Mountains. Find the portal there. I will bring your father there. You said the doctors there were knowledgeable and skilled. They will heal him. Just leave before the dragon traps us all."

"No!" Sakura swore stubbornly. "I won't leave you again."

"Please, Sakura. You have to!"

Rormic wanted to tell her everything. He wanted to tell her about the Master's plan to take over worlds and about the black witch but the Master landed behind Sakura before he could explain the urgency.

Sakura jumped when the Master landed with a thump. "It is good to officially meet you, Sakura," the Master's voice rumbled. "I have had young Rormic as my guest for quite some time. You see, my associate and I wanted Rormic to be as comfortable as possible. He kept asking after you so, we thought it best to bring you here."

"Why not just let Rormic go?" Sakura did not want the monster to think that she was going along with his tricks but at the same time, she could see that this creature was sure of himself. She hoped that he would underestimate her – maybe even starting thinking that she was stupid. He would underestimate her and she could find a way to free herself, her father and Rormic.

"I need his help, you see. Rormic has an amazing ability to find portals and I need him to lead me to one. Rormic has refused to help me a number of times now but I think that your presence will give him a change of heart."

Sakura was looking at Rormic and he was looking right back. The dragon was speaking but neither of them saw a need to look at the strange creature. Rormic tried to push the Master's voice out of his head but he could still hear the loosely veiled threats. Rormic did not know what to do. He could not let anything happen to Sakura but he could not allow a world to be destroyed either.

"I have allowed you to see that your friend is safe. I am a Spirit of my word." The dragon's head was practically on top of Rormic now but the boy still did not look at the dragon. "You have sworn to consider my offer… What is your decision?"

"I will not consider anything until you heal Brad. You swore that both of them would be safe."

The dragon's clawed hand swooped forward to pin Rormic. Sakura cried out and ran towards him but the dragon stopped her with his other clawed hand. "I am running out of patience, Boy! The girl's father will be healed – I have already sworn the same oath to her. You have no right to demand anything more of me. You have already gotten more than you deserve!"

Fire sprayed from the dragon's nostrils and burned Rormic's face. Rormic cried out but that was not enough for the dragon. He rose into the air and out of the crevice. Sakura was still clinched in the dragon's claws.

"No!" Rormic screamed. "Bring her back."

"Rormic!" Sakura called out but the dragon seemed to ignore them both.

"I will be back for your answer at dawn. Be ready!" The dragon's words echoed off of the wall as it flew away.


	27. Chapter 27

Rormic watched the dragon glide away with Sakura clutched securely in its' claws. He pulled at the rope and chains that bound him to the rocks on the other side of the crevice but nothing seemed to loosen their hold. He needed to help Sakura! The only way he could think of to do that would be to get out of the crevice.

Rormic pulled at the bindings and tried to loosen them. That did not work. He tried to jump over sharp rocks to cut at the bindings. The sharp rocks only dug into Rormic. The sharp point never penetrated a rope. Pain from burns, cuts, bruises and electrocution still tormented his body, and the escape attempts were not helping his body heal, but he could not leave Sakura and Brad to suffer. He continued to try.

After the um-teenth attempt a cackle rose through the air. Rormic stopped his ludicrous venture and looked towards the sound. Hattie had somehow managed to materialize in the crevice near Rormic. She was watching him with amusement. It was obvious that she saw no way to make his attempt successful. Hattie did not see a threat.

"I thought you would be busy helping the Master heal Brad." Rormic said this to her as casually as he could. He did not want her to know that he was truly worried about Brad's health. Rormic hoped that she would tell him about the man's condition.

"The Master does not need help with such small matters. He will be healed easily."

"Sakura thought he was dying," Rormic reminded her.

"The Master knows the poison well. He has the antidote here."

Rormic could not stop himself from breathing a sigh of relief.

"The last time I saw your friend," the witch rasped with a wicked grin, "he was gasping for breath; hardly alive."

Brad had heard Sakura's voice call to him in the darkness of his fever. He dreamt of Sakura's mother and of the life they had shared. He relived memories and jumbled up past occurrences in his fever. Still, he heard Sakura's voice the entire time and her words grounded him in reality.

Brad was shocked to wake up and find that Sakura was not by his side. A strange person in black garments and a heavy hood was the only person in the room with him. Brad tried to ask the mysterious person about his daughter but the black-caped person would not speak to him at all.

"Thank you for helping me," Brad said, trying to sound grateful now that he was fully conscious, "but I need to find my daughter now." Brad tried to stand up but he found that his wrists were tied down to the bed. "What is this? Why am I tied down?"

Brad felt panic rising within him. Instinct told Brad to fight and tear off the ropes. Brad listened to the instinct and began to kick and pull at the bindings. The bed rattled and pumped against the floor. Brad's fight made so much noise that no one heard the witch begin to chant. Brad was once again unconscious in seconds.

Rormic could only hope that the witch was lying about Brad to get at Rormic but he could never read her well even when Hattie's hood was down.

"The Master swore that they would be safe," Rormic hoped that Hattie would reassure him that the Master was a Spirit of his word; or even say that the Master was healing Brad right now, but she did none of those things.

"I am sure that the Master will uphold his part of the deal if you uphold your own part. Tell him where the portals are and your friends will be safe."

"I was raised in the country bur I am not naïve," Rormic said fiercely. "I know what men people like the Master do."

The witch literally growled at the boy. "You know NOTHING." Hattie threw electricity the boy to make sure that he understood her meaning.

"The Master sent me down here to heal you. He hoped that you would be more co-operative once you started feeling better. But I think that I want to have a little fun first – maybe I can fix that smart mouth of yours."

The witch closed in and Rormic could only whimper. Lightning crackled at her finger tips before she even touched Rormic. He could tell that she was ready to use all the power she had against him. Rormic braced himself for the pain he knew was coming.

He closed his eyes and tried to think of good things: of running with the Elk Clan in the spring, of hugging Sakura, of fighting alongside the right… He tried to hold each sweet memory and good thought as the witch moved closer and closer.

"Hattie!" A billowing voice growled. "What were my orders to you?"

He paused to give the witch a moment to answer but Hattie had been struck silent. She floundered for an answer but could find none. The Master continued for her:

"I ordered you to heal the boy, not punish him! He must be ready to travel."

"He was trying to escape, Master," the witch finally rasped. "I was only punishing his insolence."

"You and I both know that escape is impossible. He will only tire himself out. Don't bother with punishing the boy. I need him ready to lead me to the portal at dawn. Do not delay my travel, Hattie. If the boy is still insolent and refuses at dawn, you can have your fun."

Rormic had heard enough. He was tired of being ignored and talked about as if he were not in the room. "Where's Sakura?"

"You will see your friends at dawn." The Master sprouted wings in his human form and flew from the crevice.

Hattie and Rormic watched the Master fly away until he was no longer visible. The witch smiled. She opened her mouth to begin a healing chant but she never really got a chance. Rormic kicked out with his bound ankles and forced the witch to fall on her face. He kicked her again and again until her body was limp and still.

Rormic struggled to move Hattie's body so that he could find a dagger, or anything that could cut the ropes, in one of her pockets. Rormic thought that the witch would remain unconscious for some time. He was unprepared when Hattie's hand wrapped around his wrist. He tried to pull away but her grip never loosened.

"The Master cannot fault me with giving you a little punishment now…


	28. Chapter 28

Rormic could not describe the pain that the witch caused him. There were so many shots of electricity and muttered spells… Rormic lost all track of time. It seemed like all he knew was pain. To make matters worse, the witch used the most painful spell she could think of to heal him. Rormic writhed in pain even as the cuts on his back closed and the bruises disappeared.

The witch finally left him. Rormic knew that now would be the ideal time to escape but all his body could think of was rest. He fell asleep before even a wisp of an escape plan could be formed.

Rormic awoke to find himself still tethered in the crevice. He was glad to see that he was no longer in the dark. A small lantern and a platter of food rested beside him. He reached for the food – he had not eaten in days his body craved nourishment. He brought the food to his mouth but stopped before a crumb touched his lips.

"This could be poisoned or – more likely – drugged," Rormic said the words aloud even though there was no one to hear him.

He took a piece of bread and smelled the food; trying to test it for anything strange. Rormic did not smell anything odd in the bread. His tongue licked it and, still, nothing. Finally, Rormic took a small bite. He waited for what seemed like hours and nothing happened. Rormic ate all the bread. He figured that bread would be hard to drug (Rormic did not know why he thought that. He never drugged anything.).

Rormic was biting into his third piece of bread when he saw the Master came into view. He was in his human form with large wings sticking out of his back. The light that he always seemed to carry in the dark caverns glowed even brighter today. Rormic lifted his bound hands to shield his eyes from the bright light.

"I believe that I have given you more than an adequate amount of time. Give me an answer now or I will make sure you watch my good friend Hattie torture the girl."

"Where are Sakura and Brad?" Rormic asked as his stomach flipped. He tried to stay calm but he could not keep his voice from cracking.

The Master turned to his dragon form and pressed himself close to Rormic. "Answer the question, Boy! You will not see your friends alive again if you continue to refuse."

Rormic's eyes moved to the floor but he saw how serious the Master was. "You have left me little choice. You know what my answer is… I will lead you to the portals – as soon as I see that my friends are safe."

"You are as intelligent as I had hoped." The Master beamed with pride as he spoke but Rormic looked the exact opposite. Tears of shame streamed down his face.

"I want to see Sakura and Brad. You won't be able to get to the portals until I know they are safe."

"Your worries are unfounded. I understand the discrepancies that you have set. I will meet them and you will show me the portals." The Master dazed into Rormic's eyes as he spoke, as if he was looking for truth. Rormic did his best to meet the Master's daze but the shame of his obedience haunted Rormic.

"I just want them to be safe."

"They will be." The Master stood up and began to walk away, his wings unfurling once more. He left Rormic without uttering another word.

The Master flew towards the entrance of the cave, where he had hidden Rormic's two friends. The Master was certain that these two could not escape. The man was still weak from illness and the girl… The Master laughed softly just thinking about how he had left her.

(Flashback)

The Master had flown away from Rormic with the girl clutched in his claws. She pulled and struggled in the Master's clawed hands but her small body could not hurt him. Still, the Master could not deny that he was frustrated. The things the boy had said upset him. The Master wanted to take his frustration out but he could not hurt the boy – at least not yet. The Master looked at the girl and knew that he could get back at Rormic through her.

He thought about killing the girl but he quickly threw the idea away. She could still be useful to him. The black witch could have fun torturing the girl while the Master listened to the screams… but the Master threw that idea away as well. He had sworn that the boy's friends would not be hurt if Rormic co-operated and a Spirit never broke his word.

The Master decided that he would get revenge and ease his frustration by using magic on the girl… not tortuous magic but a transformation spell. Transformation spells left their victim in pain, confusion and complete vulnerability. The girl could not escape if she was no longer a girl.

The Master smiled once more, knowing that Rormic would not do anything that would endanger the girl. The Master could heal the man, leave him in the middle of the woods and still hold the girl over Rormic's head, refusing to take the transformation spell off of her until the boy leads him to the portal.

The plan seemed perfect! Now, there was only one question left: What should the girl be transformed into? It had to be something that the girl fit into; the witch would not be able to use her magic otherwise. The girl had to be turned into something harmless. They could not have the girl fighting against them. The Master smiled at his small plan once more. The transformation had to cause the girl pain – that was also an important factor.

"A bird," the Master decided aloud as his eyes floated to a rusted canary cage. The girl would be easy to tame as a small bird and the boy would do whatever they demanded of him to keep her safe.

(End Flashback)

The witch had transformed the girl hours ago but the Master still smiled as he remembered her screams. He would have to visit Sakura, now a bird, and bring her to see Rormic. It would be great fun to change the girl from a bird to a human and back again…


	29. Chapter 29

Sakura knew that there was something wrong with her even when the pain stopped. She could not form any real coherent thoughts. Her arms and legs did not really do what she asked them to. She was completely surrounded by bars… Sakura knew that she was in trouble and she kept telling her body to try to get out of here but she could still not get her body to co-operate.

The tall man who had come to the shelter was right outside of the bars. His face seemed to take up the whole place… How did he get so big? Sakura wondered to herself. She was not able to think about the question fully because of the jolting of the cage.

The Master picked the cage up and unfurled the wings on his back. He took off into the air. Sakura's cage swung this way and that. It was all she could do not to get sick. All her concentration went into staying upright in the cage. Finally, the man began to slow his flight. She could see Rormic's form getting larger and larger as they got closer and closer.

Sakura saw that Rormic's face also took up the whole cage too… She thought and put all the clues together. The Master and Rormic were not large… She was small! Sakura tried to call out to Rormic but she realized that she had no voice… She wasn't just small – Sakura was not a human!

Sakura was in a panic. Even though her body was not really her own, Sakura did all she could to get Rormic's attention. Sakura knocked around the cage and made as much noise as possible. Sakura did not stop knocking the cage around even when Rormic looked through the bars of the cage. She could not tell if he understood that the bird was really Sakura.

Rormic's face was covered in dirt but his eyes shone bright. "Why are you carrying a bird?"

The Master smiled like a Chester cat and spoke slowly. "This is not a mere bird." Rormic got closer to the cage to see the bird more clearly but the Master pulled it away quickly. "I will explain the presence of the bird when Hattie joins us."

Sakura could see Rormic shiver at the mention of the witch. She could not blame him. Sakura remembered the pain that the witch had caused her and knew that the witch had caused her to change.

Hattie seemed to materialize beside the Master seconds after he said her name. Sakura suspected that the Master really could summon her simply by speaking her name but she could not be sure.

"How good of you to join us, Hattie. You are just in time to hear Rormic confide the portals location to us."

"I told you before: I won't show you where the portals are until you prove that my friends are safe and let them go."

"It is a good thing I brought our feathered friend." The Master turned the cage towards the witch. Hattie's wrinkly hand reached into the cage that held Sakura with pointed nails.

Sakura flapped and pecked and fought to get away but it seemed like Hattie knew what she would do before she did it. Sakura knew that the witch enjoyed causing pain and that she would do it as often as possible. Sakura wanted to do only one thing – to get away from the witch! She struggled even harder but the witch's nails only dug into her more painfully.

The witch began to chant. Waves of pain rushed at Sakura. It was a familiar pain but Sakura could not stop herself from screaming. The scream started as a shrieking cry but ended as a human yell. The room spun and did not slow even after the chanting stopped. Sakura felt herself start to fall.

Rormic rushed forward on his bound feet. He used the rope on his wrist to stop Sakura's head from hitting the ground. "What did you do to her?" Rormic's face turned red as he yelled to the Master.

"You can see that the girl is unharmed. Both of your friends are doing well. The girl's father is still healing from the poison but he is recovering nicely." The Master spoke calmly but did not hide the fact that he was ignoring Rormic's question.

"She clasped! That is far from unharmed."

"The spell only hurts for a moment. The girl is fine," the witch said smugly.

"You have to let her go." Rormic wanted to beg for her release but he could see that it would do no good.

"She will be released," the Master assured Rormic. The Master nodded to the witch and she began to chant once more. Sakura's form began to shrink.

"No!" yelled Rormic. "Leave her alone." Rormic held Sakura even as she shrunk and drew feathers.

Rormic looked down at the small blue bird as if in a trance. The witch reached down to put the bird back in the cage but Rormic suddenly awoke. He moved quickly so that the bird was close to him, preventing the witch from moving her. The Master's hand wrapped around Rormic's shoulder and gripped him painfully. Rormic tried to shake it off but the Master was too strong.

"She will not be hurt, Rormic. Give us the bird." The Master's voice was hard but Rormic shook his head.

"You said that you would let her go."

"Her father will be released after you visit him. The girl will come with us to the portals. Hattie will transform her into a human being after we reach the portal and then the two of you can be on your way." The Master spoke as if Rormic were a confused child but Rormic saw no gentleness in the Spirit.

"Turn her into a human again. Then, you won't have to carry a bird cage while you travel."

"I will leave the girl as a bird. Then you will be the only prisoner I will have to watch on our trip."

Rormic was quiet for a moment but he did not move to allow either the witch or the Master to touch the blue bird. "I won't take you to the portals until Sakura is human AND released."

The Master moved forward quickly and the witch was right behind him. The Master held Rormic by the hair while the witch tried to wretch Rormic's hands apart. "I have told you before, Boy. You are in no position to make demands." Rormic kicked and bucked but the Master only held him up higher. Still, Rormic locked his hands together. After several minutes of struggling, the witch gripped Rormic's wrist tightly. Rormic heard a loud POP and saw stars of pain flash in his vision.

Rormic was disoriented, hurt and weakened. The witch saw her moment and instantly wrapped her hand around the blue bird and pushed Sakura into the old cage. Rormic held his now broken wrist to his stomach and moaned softly.

"Heal him," the Master commanded. "I'll take Sakura back to her room." The Master unfurled his winds and bent his knees but paused when he had a second thought. "Do not play with our guest this time, Hattie. I will be back to escort Rormic to Brad's room where he can say good bye."

"Yes, Master."

Rormic wanted to protest again but he knew that it would be useless so he let them take Sakura away while the witch saw to his wrist.


	30. Chapter 30

**Author's Note: Sorry this is a little late, guys. Read and enjoy (don't forget to review ).**

The Master returned to the crevice seconds before the witch finished healing Rormic's wrist. Rormic watched the man closely, looking for any hint of his next actions. Rormic stayed perfectly still. Even after the witch had finished healing his wrist, Rormic did not move. After about five minutes, it seemed like the Master was tired of waiting.

"Come. I am sure that your friend is ready to leave."

"He won't leave without Sakura," Rormic reminded the Master with certainty.

"Your friend will not have much of a choice. He will be leaving without the girl."

Rormic silently prayed that Brad would talk them into letting Sakura go. He knew that the odds of it happening were slight but he had to hold onto hope…

The Master changed to his dragon form. He snapped the chain tethering Rormic's legs and carried Rormic out of the crevice. The monstrous claws did not poke into Rormic like they had before. The Master almost held Rormic gently but any time Rormic tensed the Master's claws would come in closer. Rormic knew that there was no way he could escape. The Master was only pretending to put his guard down.

"I'm afraid we shall have to travel in the dark for awhile, Rormic. Safety must come first after all."

The light that seemed to always surround the Master shut off. Rormic could not see the hand in front of his face through the dark. The blackness was so complete that he began to feel dizzy from the free-fall of flying. Rormic was grateful that he had not eaten much over the past few days because he was sure that he would have gotten sick from the motion. Rather suddenly, light appeared again. It surrounded the dragon and framed the corners of a door. This must be from Brad's room, Rormic thought.

The dragon landed a few yards from the door. "I will open the door. You will see that your friend has been healed and is well. I will explain to your friend that he will be leaving. I will even tell him where the nearest settlements are. You will have ten minutes alone with him to say goodbye. Then, I will take him away."

"Sakura will want to say goodbye."

"She will have to wait until she is also released," the dragon hissed. "She will not be transformed from a bird until we are at the portal."

Rormic sighed in frustration but obeyed the dragon still. The Master opened the door and motioned for Rormic to walk in ahead of him. Rormic saw that the small room only had one piece of furniture in it – a cot. Rormic could see Brad lying in that single cot. Brad could not move from the cot or rise to greet them. Blood stained ropes attached his wrists to the cot.

It was obvious that Brad had tried to get free of the ropes but the knots seemed to only get tighter. Brad was still weak from his illness. The man could not lift his head to look at them. Rormic crossed the small room to Brad before the Master could fully enter the room.

"Brad! Are you alright?" Rormic kneeled down to see eye to eye with Brad.

"Rormic! Is Sakura with you? Is she safe?"

"I saw her earlier today. They haven't hurt her badly but they've turned her into a –" Rormic could not continue. The Master held a long cane in his hand that sent lightning bolts flying at Rormic. The boy crumbled to the floor. None of his muscles obeyed him. Including the ones in his mouth.

"That is enough, Rormic!" Rormic was certain that the Master knew that Rormic could not speak even if he wanted to. "Your daughter is quite safe. Rormic has agreed to help us. If the boy continues to co-operate, no harm will come to your daughter.

Hattie and I were very happy to find your daughter. She has proven to be quite useful. You, on the other hand, have over-stayed your uses. You will be leaving the cave now. I will fly you to the Northern Wilderness. If you continue to walk west for a day or so, you will come to a settlement. Now come." The dragon grabbed Brad and dragged him from the bed.

"Wait!" Rormic called out. He was able to use his mouth again but he was still unable to stand.

"You have had more than enough time to talk with Brad. We must be going now. Hattie will come to collect you in a moment." With that, the dragon left with its' claws cutting into Brad's face and arms. Brad continued to struggle and shout.

The dragon's wings beat and the sound grown out Brad's words. He shouted and Rormic strained to hear. "Keep Sakura safe, Rormic! She already has enemies! Our family -"Rormic could not hear the rest. He tried to move but the shock had left him too weak. They were too far gone now…

Sadness filled Rormic when he thought about having to tell Sakura that her father was gone. He tried to look on the bright side of things: they were all alive. Still, Brad's warning did not bode well…

Rormic was only just able to move his arms when the witch came in. He could not stop himself from groaning when he saw the witch. She seemed to bring nothing but pain.

"Relax, boy. The Master has plans for you and they require you to be healthy. We have a long walk for tomorrow." Rormic could not fight the witch even though every instinct told him he needed to get away from her. The witch's wrinkled hand carried Rormic by the back of his shirt.

They walked in the pitch blackness of the cave. Rormic tried to count the number of times they turned but he lost track fairly quickly. After what seemed like hours of walking in the darkness, the witch dropped Rormic and lit a single candle. Rormic saw that he was in a corner that branched off into two tunnels. The witch took the chain that still hung down after his bound ankles and melded the chain to the wall.

"Get comfortable, Boy. You'll be spending the night here. I'll even leave you with the candle. I wouldn't want to spoil the mood between you and the girl." Rormic looked up and saw a rusted bird cage.

"Sakura!" He called in surprise and happiness.


	31. Chapter 31

Rormic looked up and saw the rusted bird cage.

"Sakura!" He yelled out with surprise and happiness. An explosion of tweets and flaps erupted from the cage. "Listen, Sakura. I'm not sure if you know this or not. They healed your father. His fever is gone. Brad is doing well. The dragon already let him go." Rormic stopped, unsure if he should tell Sakura the rest. It only took him a few seconds to come to the conclusion that Sakura deserved to hear it all.

"The dragon gave me his words that he will turn you into a human and let you go as soon as I lead him to the portal. I don't really have any other choice but to believe him." Sakura was sitting in the far side of her cage, staying as close to him as possible.

Both of them jumped when Hattie spoke. "Get some sleep, kiddies. Tomorrow is going to be a long day." The witch began to chant and Rormic had heard the song enough times to recognize it: the sleep chant.

"No." Rormic said and started to lash out feebly at her.

"The Master wants to make sure that the two of you are well rested… and unable to plan escape attempts during the night."

"We can't escape when Sakura's stuck as a bird."

"Then the sleep chants will do nothing more than ensure a good night's rest. Don't make me shock you again, Boy. The Master wants you to be as healthy as possible."

Rormic sighed and relented. He stopped struggling and actually lay down voluntarily while Hattie finished the chant. Consciousness left both Rormic and Sakura the last thought Rormic had was one of worry.

He remembered all the times the witch has forced him to sleep. Each time he had woken up in a different room – really he was not even sure if he was still in the same cave. There was no doubt that the dragon would never let Rormic out of these underground hiding places. Rormic came to one conclusion before fully losing consciousness – his one chance at escape would be the second they left the caves.

Hours later, the witch woke Rormic up as rudely as she could. Gnarled, wrinkly fingers poked Rormic until he jumped up. The witch used some type of magic to disconnect his chains from the wall and another to lower Sakura's cage to the floor. One of the witch's hands held Sakura's cage and the other held Rormic's arm in a grip that was so tight it hurt.

"Time to get going, kiddies," the witch practically sang as she pushed Rormic forward. "The Master is waiting for us." The witch guided Rormic through the maze of halls in the cavern at a fast pace. It was hard for Rormic to keep up with his bound feet but the witch dragged him forward.

Finally, Rormic saw light both imitating from the Master and shinning from the cave entrance. The Master broke the chains off of Rormic's feet but quickly fastened the links about Rormic's waist.

"I have upheld my part of our agreement: Brad is free and safe in a settlement and the girl is unharmed. Now you must uphold your part, Rormic. Where is the portal?"

"I've told you before; I have no idea what you're talking about." Rormic did not really care what the witch did to him but he still worried about Sakura.

"We discussed this." The Master motioned to the cage the witch still held. "You wouldn't want to hurt your friend." The witch allowed lightning to stream between her fingers just to remind Rormic of her power to cause pain.

"I promised I'd help you and I will. I don't want Sakura to get hurt, so I'll help you. I just need you to tell me how."

"This can't be! Ancient magic reveled that you would lead me to the portal." The Master pulled out a bundle of small paper notes. Sakura recognized them immediately – they looked just like the cards she found in her world! Sakura chirped wildly in her cage but everyone seemed to ignore her.

"Killing the boy will help, my Master. We can use his organs to divine the portal's location." Hattie smiled proudly at her idea but the Master ignored her and continued to pace.

"Hattie! Use your power to ask the ancestors what to do. How do we use the boy?"

Hattie's eyes became milky white and her hands shook. After only minutes in her strange trance, Hattie returned to normal. "The ancients have revealed the answer to me. We must give the documents to the boy. They will lead him to the portal."

The Master swiftly forced the papers into Rormic's hands. Rormic looked at them but he only saw a few blank pages. "Nothing is happening… What am I supposed to be seeing?"

"Walk, boy. The documents will guide you as we go." The Master pulled the chain on Rormic's waist taunt and forced him forward.

Rormic followed the Master's lead even though he was confused. The Master traveled over spiked rocks and into deep forests. They continued to walk toward mountains. Rormic was not sure if the Master believed that the mountains were important or if the mountains were only a coincidence.

"Watch the papers, boy! The air in front of you will not tell you the way," the witch hit Rormic with each word that she spoke. Rormic tried to hold up his hands to shield himself but it was hard to keep up with the Master's pace, hold off the witch and watch the papers. Sakura squawked loudly, causing the Master to turn around.

"We still need the boy, Hattie. Leave him so he can work."

Rormic walked as quickly as he could to keep up. Rormic was surprised when the papers began to heat up and pull to one side. The papers continued to pull to one area no matter where Rormic walked. He knew that this was what the Master spoke of before.

"We need to go this way," Rormic told the Master and pointed.

The Master's face lit with a strange light. "I knew that the ancestors would not abandon me. Lead the way, boy. Soon you and your friend will be free."


	32. Chapter 32

Rormic followed the pull of the paper. Hoping that after awhile the Master's grip on the chain would loosen. Rormic had a sort-of plan. The Master would eventually let his guard down. Rormic would grab Sakura's cage and demand that they change her back. He would threaten to rip or burn the papers if they did not turn Sakura back into a human…

The more Rormic thought about his plan the more loop holes he saw. Still, he had to do something and no better ideas were coming into his head. The half-plan was the only chance he and Sakura had… Rormic knew that he had to take the chance.

Rormic twisted between trees and scrambled by rocks. Hattie and the Master let him lead so that the portal would be found quicker. Rormic could see that they were getting more and more secure in their hold over him. Rormic felt the chain around his waist go slack and knew that it was time to act.

He wrapped the chain around his hand and wrested it from the Master's slack grip. The Master turned to Rormic in surprise. The Master and Hattie both began chanting spells but it was too late. Rormic was already moving toward Hattie. Rormic's head struck Hattie's stomach, stopping her mid-spell. Rormic grabbed Sakura's cage and tried to climb to the top of a jutting rock. He planned on using the rock as a safe place to demand that Sakura be returned to human form. Unfortunately, he never made it to the top of the rock.

The witch tackled Rormic from behind. He hands lit with lightning. Rormic was shocked and burning before the hands even made contact with his skin. Rormic struggled to get away. He kicked and bucked but the pain of the shocks were already making Rormic weak.

Rormic felt Sakura's cage being wretched from his hands but he did not have the strength to fight the strong arms the pulled her away. The witch continued to shock Rormic for a few more minutes – it felt like hours to Rormic – until the Master signaled a stop. The witch kept her hands on Rormic but stopped the flow of electricity.

"We need him to be able to walk."

"The punishment was not adequate, Master," rasped the witch in anger.

"Punish the girl then."

"No! She didn't do anything wrong!" Rormic twisted in the witch's grip.

"You deserve punishment more than the girl but you need to walk while the girl does not," the Master's eyes never left Rormic's face even when Sakura tweeted and rattled her cage.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her!" Rormic yelled as he continued to fight the witch's hold.

"I swore she would not be hurt if you co-operated. Your attempted escape has nullified the agreement." The Master reached his hand into the cage and held Sakura. Rormic only fought more but he still could not get away from the witch's hold. A quick shriek echoed through the trees.

Sakura's scream tore Rormic's heart to pieces. He had promised to protect her but he had failed. Rormic knew that his half-plan was risky but he never even considered how the failed plan could hurt her.

The Master placed a stunned Sakura back in the cage. Rormic sagged in the witch's grip, defeated. "I hope that you are ready to get back to the business at hand. I abhor delays."

The Master held the chain attached to Rormic's waist in a fist hand, leaving little room to allow Rormic to walk ahead. Rormic followed the pull of the documents in a haze. He was not really thinking about what he was doing. Sadness and guilt took over Rormic's mind.

He tried to look towards Sakura's cage but anytime his eyes left the documents the Master would yank the chain violently. The Master had yanked Rormic off of his feet more than once only to insist that Rormic needed to walk quickly. Rormic had not been able to even look in Sakura's direction.

The sun had set but the group continued to walk. The documents continued to pull Rormic along. He often stumbled and fell, unable to see in the dark. They were walking through the woods. Roots and stumps seemed to come out of nowhere. Rormic had fallen more times than he could count. Finally, after hours of falling through the dark, Rormic just couldn't get up. The Master pulled on the chain and Rormic rose to his hands and knees. Seeing that Rormic could travel no further, the Master decided to make camp.

The witch had placed Sakura's cage in a tree while the Master linked Rormic's chain to a tree. The witch set up a fancy tent for the Master. The Master was in dragon form making a fire. Both of them had their backs to Rormic. Rormic inched towards the tree that held Sakura. Rormic made it to the tree's base. The chain was taunt but the two captors had failed to notice him.

"Sakura," he whispered up. The blue bird stuck its head out from between the bars and cooed softly to him. He reached his hand up to touch her.

A violent yanking on the chain dragged Rormic back to the tree he was originally tethered to.

"I should have known not to leave you unattended," the Master spoke as he dragged Rormic. The Master held Rormic by the shoulders and slammed him against the tree. One of the Master's hands pushed Rormic against the tree while the other hand wrapped the chain around Rormic's chest, arms and the tree's trunk.

"You swore to let her go once I show you to the portal," Rormic reminded the dragon.

"She will be turned into a human and released after you get us to the portal. I told – I am a Spirit of my word."

"Why do you want to take her to the portal?"

"I am only insuring your co-operation." The Fire dragon Spirit had tied Rormic around the tree at the chest and arms. His writs were still bound and the Spirit had tied Rormic's ankles together as well. The Master had taken Rormic's shoes ensuring that Rormic would not get far if he ran. "Hattie, make sure that these two sleep well."

**Author Note: I am currently trying to write two stories (this one and another Princess Mononoke Fanfic for a friend's challenge) and do all of life's demanding stuff… please be patient and kindly review!**


	33. Chapter 33

The branch that jabbed him in the back woke him before dawn. Rormic's eyes scanned the area. He saw that the light had barely risen over the hill. Rormic began to shift to get comfortable but he frozen when he saw a shadow coming near. Rormic tried his best to stay perfectly still. He was hoping that the Master and Hattie would discuss their plans if they thought he was still sleeping. Rormic stayed perfectly still and his efforts were rewarded.

"Are the ancestors ever wrong?" The Master asked Hattie quickly.

"They have never led me astray. They say that the girl is important – that we will need her."

"Need her in the Fifth or in the Eighth?"

"I believe that she is needed in both."

"She is of pedigree…I will make arrangements before we arrive."

"What of the boy?"

"He will not be a problem. You will leave him to me, Hattie."

"Yes, Master."

The two captors went back to their tent, then, out of Rormic's hearing range. Still, they had left him with more than enough to think about. It was obvious that the girl they were talking about was Sakura. The witch was admitting that they needed her…

Rormic knew that they were bringing Sakura to the portal for reasons other than keeping him in line. Rormic was almost relieved to hear that they needed Sakura – it only confirmed his own suspicions! The trouble was that he still did not know why they needed her. The talk about numbers and needing her for multiple purposes did worry Rormic. He had a feeling that finding the portal would not be the end of Sakura's job but it would mean the end of his. They would be separated.

The Master continued to assure Rormic that Sakura would be set free and returned to her human form but he still doubted the Spirit's word. The Master seemed to be able to manipulate words when he had to. One minute he was assuring Rormic that Sakura would never be hurt. Then, he would point out a small detail and hurt her. Rormic knew that the Master could not be trusted.

The witch enjoyed causing pain but she never tried to hide the fact. Hattie was an evil person and she was alright with others knowing she was evil. The Master was an evil man who hid behind a false mask of morals. The Master was unpredictable because he tried to hide the fact that he was evil. Hattie, on the other hand, was very predictable. She would be mean because she liked being mean and was not afraid of who knew it.

Rormic tried to push his fears and worries down. He needed to concentrate and be strong for Sakura. He promised Brad that he would protect Sakura and he had also already failed to protect her once. Rormic would find a way to get Sakura away from her enemies… He would have to act quickly. The only thing he could think of doing was stealing Sakura away the second they transformed her.

Rormic wanted to be impatient and act now but he remembered his last half-thought-out plan. Sakura got hurt when he acted too quickly without thinking things through. Rormic refused to let the same thing happen again. Sakura would not be hurt for his mistakes again. Rormic just needed to be more careful – stealthier.

"I am a warrior," Rormic reminded himself silently. "I am a spy." If Rormic could fight alongside the Warrior, fight an army of beasts in the palace, and stop a war, surely he could escape with Sakura… This one task seemed small when compared with the other things he had already accomplished. Rormic told himself to stop worrying. He was having his own adventure now and things would work out for him just like they had for every warrior in every adventure he had ever heard. "Stay focused and alert," Rormic whispered to himself.

"It sounds like the kiddies are awake, Master," the witch said happily in her raspy voice.

"Get them on their feet. I expect to find the portal today."

The witch untied Rormic's legs and undid the chain that connected his chest and arms to the tree. After the Master held the end of the chain that hung around Rormic's waist once more, Hattie handed Rormic his boots. Rormic put them on quickly. As soon as the boots were on Rormic's feet and Sakura's cage rested in Hattie's hands, the Master thrust the documents at Rormic.

The pull was immediate this time. Rormic followed the pull closely, seeing that the Master was at Rormic's heals, holding the chain even more tightly than before. The Master was keeping a close eye on Rormic, knowing that he was looking for an escape. Rormic hoped that the Master would get distracted by the portal once they traveled closer. So, with this idea in mind, Rormic followed the pull.

Rormic walked quickly even though every muscle in his body was tired and begged for food and rest. Rormic wanted to get there as soon as possible. He wanted this whole ordeal to be over. The need to get away from the Master and his witch seemed to be greater than Rormic's body's need for food and rest.

Part of Rormic wanted to just give up and let the Master get to the portal while the other part of his brain said that he couldn't let the Master win. Rormic's rational side said that the Master would not let Rormic and Sakura go even after finding the portal. Rormic tried to ignore this part of his brain but it seemed to make more and more since as time went on. Rormic came to one conclusion: He needed to make sure that Sakura escaped. Either way, Rormic had promised to keep Sakura safe and he aimed to keep that promise.

Rormic remembered all the small things Sakura did that he loved. She would touch him softly on the arm when he was nervous. She would laugh with him and tell jokes to make him feel good. Sakura's smile was able to chase away any fear or worry Rormic had. Sakura's survival was worth almost certain death to Rormic.

Rormic steeled himself for the chance at death and for the daring try he convinced himself that he would have to make. He kept telling himself that he was ready in his head but his heart was not prepared. The documents stopped their pull… Rormic knew that this could only mean one thing: they had found the portal. His heart stopped for about three seconds but then started up again at twice its normal speed.


	34. Chapter 34

"This is it," Rormic called back loudly, hoping to alert Sakura that this was their last chance. The Master was gazing in awe that the invisible portal, ignorant and oblivious to the world around him. Unfortunately, the witch was watching Rormic like a hawk.

Rormic tried to at least appear calm even though his heart was beating faster than it had when he had run for miles. He willed his body to relax, remembering how quickly the Master had intercepted attempted escapes. Rormic needed to be ready without letting them know that he was ready. The only real advantage Rormic had was the element of surprise and Rormic knew that the only way his escape would succeed would be if he continued to have his advantage.

"I led you to the portal. You have to keep your word – change Sakura back."

"Patience, Boy, patiencesss!" The witch literally hissed into Rormic's ear. She was inches from Rormic's face and her proximity discussed him. Every bone in his body wanted to get away from the witch but he stopped himself from moving. Sakura's cage was in the witch's hand, dangling from a thick, but rusted, iron ring. Rormic hated being near the witch but the chance to get Sakura free was worth being close to the witch.

"Go ahead, Hattie. Give the boy what he wants. I am anxious to be on our way. You and I have much work to do yet." The Master's eyes were still glued to the invisible portal but his words were aimed directly at the witch.

"But, Master, the business – "

"Do not question me, Hattie! Change the girl, NOW!"

Hattie began to chant. The Master bent and opened the cage so that Sakura could come out before she grew too big through the transformation. Sakura rolled out of the cage as the feathers disappeared. She rolled listlessly; like she could not tell which way was up. Sakura writhed in pain on the ground as she grew and changed. The feathers and beak were replaced with soft skin and a mouth. Rormic could hear Sakura's cry of pain morph from a bird call into a human yell.

Rormic leapt forward the second Hattie's chant was complete. Sakura was human again but Rormic could see that she was hurt. Sakura's eyes rolled in her head and she did not respond to Rormic's call. There was something wrong…

"What did you do to her?" Rormic turned his anger towards the Master. He took a step towards the Master but quickly had to step back as the Master shot a wave of lightning towards him.

Rormic tried to jump out of the way but he was too slow. Painful agony raged up his leg and into his entire body. Rormic dropped to the ground, groaning softly. Rormic felt all the strength leaving his body. Every cell in Rormic's mind was begging for rest and he was ready to welcome blackness. Haze surrounded the edges of his vision but a sound broke through.

Rormic heard Sakura yell out. They were hurting her, his tired mind knew. Rormic struggled onto his hands and knees, catching his breath after such an effort before shifting onto his knees in a kneel. The Master growled something to the witch and then quickly turned to Rormic. The Master sent another bolt of lightning towards Rormic. The boy was already injured and could not jump out of the way this time.

The bolt struck Rormic quickly and mercilessly. Rormic gritted his teeth and locked his legs, determined to stay in a kneeling position. He had to get to Sakura and that could not happen if he was lying on the floor. The shock seemed to last for an eternity for Rormic but the Master knew that the shock had only lasted a few seconds.

The Master saw that Rormic was still struggling to his feet. He shot the boy again, this time with a high voltage. Rormic saw the blackness trying to invade his vision. He tried to fight the dark but numbness quickly moved to cover his mind. Rormic's body would not let his fight anymore. He fell to the ground with a thump.

"Let us retire, the girl will awaken soon," the Master told the witch as he breathed heavily.

"Will she co-operate?"

"She will learn quickly, I have made arraignments."

"Yes, Master."

The three of them vanished through the portal to find a completely different world: there were tall, colorful buildings looming over coble stone streets. Woman in ball gowns stepping into shops and men wore suits in robin's egg blue. There were no spiked rocks, tall mountains or dark forests like there had been in the other worlds.

Many things were different in this world. The people lived in sprawling towns and large cities. Demons in this world had learned to hide in plain sight. One building may not be a building at all. Still, not all demons were big. A small child walking around the city might not be a child at all. The people had learned long ago that nothing could be taken at face value and that things were not what they seemed.

A large group of men in gold and red uniforms lined the streets where Hattie and the Master had immerged.

"Here is our welcoming committee now," the Master said motioning for the men to come forward.

"Welcome to Kingston, great Wizard. His Royal Highness, Prince Marcol has been expecting you," one of the uniformed men said.

The three of them were led to the largest building in the city. The witch carried Sakura to a room on the top floor and tied her to the bed with smooth rope. The Master had made it clear that he did not want the girl to hurt herself. The witch left the room and motioned for two of the uniformed men to stand outside of the door. The girl seemed secure enough. The witch quickly walked down the ground floor halls to catch up with the Master.

He was walking into a large room covered with paintings and rich carpet. A man sat at the far end of the room in a tall-backed chair. This was obviously one of the men in charge. It was the Prince Marcol.

"My soldiers tell me that you have brought the princess,' the prince said with a slight flourish accent.

"I have brought her and I will give her to you provided that the portal is closed."


	35. Chapter 35

Sakura woke up slowly. She had been having a strange dream… a dream where she could not control her body… a dream where she saw her friends get hurt but could not do anything to ease their pain.

Sakura was awake enough to know that the circumstances in her dream were not very different from her real life. She remembered being a bird and being in a cage. She remembered watching the witch hurt Rormic. Sakura knew that the witch and her Master were forcing Rormic to lead them to a portal. She remembered reaching the portal. The Master had said that Sakura would be transformed into a human… that was really all Sakura remembered.

She looked around, hoping to get some clue as to where she was and how she got there. Sakura found herself in an elaborate room. The walls were covered with rich, textured wallpaper and the floor had elaborate tiles covered by a plush carpet. The walls were red with dark blue vines. The carpet was also blue with intricate designs in green and gold. The room looked like it should be reserved for a wealthy man. Sakura was a little surprised that she was lying in a bed but not surprised that she was tied down.

Sakura tested the bounds on her wrists and ankles. The knots were tight but the material was smooth. The rope did not irritate her skin or bite into her. Sakura could see that someone was going out of their way to make her comfortable but confused. She could only guess at whom was really responsible for her predicament: the witch and Master.

Sakura felt that her fears were confirmed when the witch came through the room's one door on the far wall.

"The Master knew that you would be awake, girl. He has great plans for you."

"Where's Rormic? Where am I?" Sakura wanted to play cool and calm but she could not stop the questions from forming on her lips.

"Do not ask questions you do not want the answers to. You are in Kingston. The Prince Marcol asked the Master to bring you here."

"Why would a prince want the Master to bring me?"

"Your friend was not lying – you really do not know who you are."

"Just tell me!"

The witch laughed. "You are the last princess of a now powerful nation. Your mother left and abandoned the throne but then, the remaining royal family was all killed. The only royal family member left is you. The prince wants to marry you to appease the people and form an alliance."

"I'm not marrying some prince that asks witches to kidnap people!" Sakura practically screamed to Hattie even though the witch stood a mere few feet in front of her.

"Your friend said he would never show us the portal too… but here we are."

Sakura did not know what to think about the witch's callousness. Rormic had been hurt and tortured for days before he agreed to show them the way to this place – he did not agree until the Master had threatened to hurt Sakura. Sakura knew that she could not trust this dragon's word. He had already gone back on his oaths more than once. The dragon could promise her the moon but he would only uphold the promise if it helped him.

"This is different," Sakura said to the witch, promising her that she would not fall for the Master's tricks.

"You will change your mind after you speak with the Master."

Finally, the witch bent down and began to untie the smooth ropes that bound Sakura to the bed. The witch worked on the feet before she moved on to untying Sakura's hands.

"Don't even think about trying to escape," the witch hissed at Sakura. Hattie's lips were millimeters away from Sakura's ear. Sakura turned away and saw that the door was open. Her heart leapt, despite Hattie's warning. Sakura was desperately trying to think of a valid plan but everything changed when she saw into the hall.

There were three guards standing beside her door. They all wore the red and gold uniforms and held strange weapons. The weapons reminded her of hand guns from her own world – but these guns were bigger and had an opening that looked like it could shoot a large tomato.

Hattie followed Sakura's gaze and laughed softly. "These guards have been trained... but doesn't worry the Master will not let them kill you. He gave them stun guns. Still best not to try anything. The shot is quite painful. You might think you are dying for a few hours or so before the stun wears off."

Sakura was sure that Hattie was trying to scare her but she also thought that there was a grain of truth to Hattie's story. Sakura did not want to find out how much truth was in Hattie's story. In the end, Sakura thought it was best to not run when Hattie finished untying all the knots.

"The Master is waiting but there are a few things we need you to do before you see him," Hattie told her ominously.

Guards flanked Sakura as Hattie lead her down the halls. The guards pulled her through every twist and turn. Sakura was starting to feel dizzy when they finally came to a stop.

"Wait outside," Hattie commanded the guards and they did has she asked without question.

Hattie took Sakura's arm and pulled her inside without further comment. The room that Sakura was pulled into was large and covered in tile. The floors, walls and even the ceiling had tile on it. The majority of the room was taken up by a large brass tub.

"The Master wants you to make herself presentable. Undress yourself, get into the tub and I will bring you fresh clothes."

Sakura was still suspicious of the witch but she did not know what else to do. Sakura did want a bath...So, Sakura undressed and handed Hattie the clothes as quickly as she could. Sakura lowered herself into the tub as soon as Hattie had disappeared with the clothes. The water was warm and smelled of roses.

Sakura lowered herself into the tube until she head was underwater. This was the first time Sakura had dared to relax since rescuing her father. Unfortunately, Sakura could not spend much time relaxing. Hattie had returned with the clean clothes and motioned for Sakura to get out. Sakura did as she was told.

She dried and dressed herself in the clothes Hattie had brought. The clothing was unlike anything Sakura had ever seen. The dress looked a little like a silken ball down but ribbons covered the back half and stripes made a V shape on the top of the front. A thick sash was tied on the front where the V ended. Sakura looked at herself in the mirror provided and saw nothing but blue. The dress itself was a light blue but some stripes and ribbons were a darker shade of the same color.

Sakura had only just stepped out from behind the changing screen when the witch pulled her into the hallway. The guards surrounded them again and Sakura had to run to keep up with Hattie.

"The Master is getting impatient." Hattie acted like the statement was an explanation but Sakura couldn't help but feel even more confused.


	36. Chapter 36

Hattie led Sakura into a darkened room. The Master was supposedly waiting for her inside but Sakura could not see anything through the darkness. Sakura did not doubt that he was there but she could not help but jump when she heard his voice.

"I am impressed, Hattie. The girl looks like a queen. The prince will have no choice but to agree to our terms if he wishes to continue being a prince."

"I will put her in the car, Master."

The witch gripped Sakura's arms tightly and tried to move her but the girl dug her heels into the floor. "I'm not going until you tell me what this is about!"

"Your friend, Rormic had the same idea but he quickly learned that it is better to just do as he was told." The Master muttered something under his breath. Sakura was shocked to find herself floating through the air. She could not move her arms or legs. She tried to call out but her voice did not work.

"Get her in the car. Make sure that she cannot move or talk," the Master commanded his witch.

He then turned to the defenseless Sakura. "I was hoping that you would be more co-operative than your friend. I really thought that you were smarter. I have a feeling that you will soon see the wisdom of following my orders, as Rormic did."

Sakura wanted to yell at him... to tell the Master that she was smart enough to know that he was not to be trusted, but the spell only allowed her to move her lips. No words could come out.

The witch chanted another spell that resulted in Sakura's body becoming even stiffer. She could not move even a finger. Her lips seemed to be glued together. Sakura thought that she hated the feeling defenselessness before but this was even worse.

The witch shoved Sakura into the car. There was nothing the girl could do to stop the witch. Sakura felt completely hopeless.

Sakura did not really notice that the car had an open roof until screaming crowds practically defend her ears. She could see streets full of women in ball gowns and men in colorful, bright suits; all waving at her. Sakura want to jump out of the car and boride the first person she saw with questions. She would be happy just jumping out of the car and running but her body could not move.

Behind Sakura, in a covered car, the Master and Hattie were deep in conversation.

"It is good to be home again, isn't it?" Hattie asked her Master in almost humming voice.

"My powers are finally at their fullest. We should have gotten involved in politics years ago."

"The people seem to be quite taken with my future bride," said a third voice from a small, clear ball resting in Hattie's gnarled hand.

"Yes, my prince, your plan is working perfectly. Anyone who questioned your right to reign cannot argue that the husband of the lost princess has a right to rule. The throne is yours!"

Rormic awoke to a very unpleasant surprise. A man with a hard-toed boot was poking him with the said boot.

"Are ya alive down there?" Asked the booted man.

Rormic only managed to groan and roll over in response. The man poked him harder but Rormic was still trying to find his way through the fog of unconsciousness. He ignored the booted man. At the third attempt, the booted man let his foot fly. Rormic grunted in pain. The kick hit the boy right in the stomach.

Rormic doubled over in pain but the booted man did not give Rormic time to recover. The hilt of a dagger was driven into the side of Rormic's head. Stars danced in his vision but he was somehow able to hold onto consciousness.

Rormic fought back as well as he could. He was not an experienced fighter but Rormic had speed and agility on his side. Rormic twisted away from punches and squirmed out of holds but all of Rormic's skill was not enough to win. In the end, the booted man still held a weapon.

The fight lasted no longer than 10 minutes before Rormic had a dagger pressed to his throat.

"Can ya behave yerself?" The man pressed the knife on to Rormic's neck with more force to remind Rormic of the consequences of misbehaving. "I was hopin' I wouldn't have to kill ya. Ya'll fetch me a good amount alive."

Knowing that his captor wanted him alive, Rormic felt emboldened enough to ask a question. "What do you mean catch a good price?" The man's only answer was to knee Rormic in the stomach.

The breath was knocked out of Rormic. He opened his mouth and gasped but he just couldn't get enough air.

"See my boy, ya be all good and quiet, aint no harm gunna come to ya."

Rormic nodded his head to show that he understood, still trying to catch his breath.

"There's a good boy," the booted man mocked before literally throwing Rormic into a cart. The cart was hardly big enough for Rormic to lie in but that did not stop the booted man from tying Rormic's hands and feet to the rails.

The ropes the man used were even coarser than the rope that the Master had used to keep Rormic bound. Rormic tried to wiggle his hands and loosen the rope but the rope burned his hands too badly. Rormic had to stop from pain. He could already feel the blood pooling around the rope.

After a few hours in the cart, Rormic fell asleep. The next thing Rormic knew, rough hands were pulling him up by the arms. Rormic could not see their faces because they were all surrounded by darkness. He automatically started to struggle against their hold.

"This one has spirit. He will sell for a good price," one of the men in the darkness said.

"His spirit will break after a few weeks. The muscles in his arms will be what will fetch the best price." Rormic assumed that this new voice belonged to the man who was holding his arms. How many men were there?

"You know how those people across the Black Domination are. They will pay twice as much as anyone here for the slaves. Kingston is the richest plumb of them all! Send the boy there. He'll make us rich."

"Shut up and help us drag him to the ship."

Rormic kicked out into the darkness and fought the hands that held him all the more. Still, the fighting seemed to make no difference. The men managed to force him into a room that was even darker. Once the door closed, five pairs of hands came out of nowhere. Rormic continued to kick, panic rising within him and making his fight even more desperate. It seemed like more hands came from nowhere and fought him no matter how hard he fought.

The many hands quickly over came him and placed mettle manacles over his wrists, ankles and around his neck. Rormic yelled in frustration but did not stop fighting. The men laughed, leaving to slam the door.

Rormic fought the hopelessness rising within him. He was locked in a prison, Sakura had been captured but the Master and his witch, and Brad was lost in the forest. Rormic could not see any way of making his life or the lives of his friends better.


	37. Chapter 37

Sakura was relieved to see that she could finally move. Unfortunately, the Master did not allow Sakura to move freely even after the parade. Sakura was forced to stand still during a second ceremony as well. The prince, who, Sakura was told would soon be her husband, was being sworn in as a king. Sakura was forced to sit next to him for hours during the ceremony.

The Master even used the spell to force Sakura to dance with Marcol. Sakura's feet moved even though her mind begged them not to. She had no control over her body and the feeling was unlike anything she had ever felt before. She felt trapped… she was trapped in a prison she could never hope to get out of. Her own body was her prison and warden.

The witch pulled Sakura into a hallway leading to the kitchens as soon as the dance ended. Sakura feared that the witch would cast another spell but luckily, the witch took off a spell instead of casting a new one. Sakura could move again and the first thing she wanted to do was run away.

The witch grabbed at Sakura to prevent her from leaving and Sakura's small fists hit the witch, fighting her. The witch sent a shock of lightning through Sakura. The electricity seemed to suck the energy from Sakura. Even after the pain faded, Sakura could not find the strength to stand for long.

"The Master has told me not to harm you. He has also ordered me to make sure that you get to your room. Causing you harm in order to get you to the room will not anger the Master."

Sakura went limp, partly out of exhaustion and partly to keep the witch from moving her. "You will learn to be obedient soon enough, girl," the witch said dragging Sakura but the hair.

The witch forced Sakura into the room without breaking a sweat. Sakura stood up and moved towards the door. She knew it was locked but she had to check. The witch hissed as Sakura pulled at the handle.

"Look into the crystal, girl!" The witch's hissing voice demanded Sakura pay attention and the girl could not ignore the witch.

Sakura watched and was shocked to see Rormic's image in the glass. He was lying on the forest floor moaning.

"You hurt him!" Sakura accused the witch.

"Oh we could hurt him more than that. The boy does not yet know pain! Of course, I could just as easily ease his suffering – even heal him."

Sakura stiffened, knowing that an ultimatum was coming. The witch was all but threatening Sakura and she knew that the witch did not make idol threats. Things only got worse when a loud POP filled the air. The Master suddenly stood before Sakura.

"If you do as we say, no harm will come to your friend. I will even heal him on the day of your wedding," the Master spoke with a smile. It was as if he trying to appear friendly but his voice did not hide the menacing tone.

"How do I know you're telling the truth?"

"Hattie, use your spell," the Master commanded.

Hattie chanted but Sakura only heard the first few syllables. Rormic's scream covered the rest. "Stop it!" Sakura yelled.

"Heal a few of the minor wounds," the Master's voice commanded again.

Hattie began a new chant. Sakura saw color slowing returning to Rormic's face and heard his screaming turn into a low moan. Sakura could see that Rormic was still unable to move from the forest floor but at least his pain had lessened.

"Heal him so he can stand." Sakura surprised herself at the command in her voice.

"Do as I say and I will heal Rormic," the Master repeated.

"He'll die if you leave him there!"

"Then you will not want to delay your wedding. I will heal him after you are married to the Prince."

"Why does the prince even want to marry me? My family ran away. I'm practically a fugitive!"

"Strangely, the people who chased your family away feel guilty. They want rightful rulers on the throne. You are the only direct decent left. Your marriage validates the prince's right to rule."

Sakura looked from the witch to the Master. "You won't do something for nothing. What are you getting out of it?"

"That is not your concern, girl. You marry the prince and behave – then your Rormic will live," the witch said in a voice that made the hairs on the back of Sakura's neck stand on end.

"A few fleeting images in a crystal ball is not proof. I want real proof that he lives before I do anything for you."

"I am sure that you want many things but the truth of the matter is that you will not risk the boy." The Master smiled slowly. "You will do what we say."

With that, the Master and Hattie left with the same POP that allowed them to arrive. Sakura was alone. She kneeled down by the side of the bed and cried, letting all of her anger, sadness and frustration out.

Rormic left like he had been stuck in the dark room for ages. The walls seemed to be closing in on him even though he could not see the walls. Rormic tried to stay calm but every now and then, Rormic felt panic. The panic was as intense as it could be. Rormic could not think at all when the panic gripped him. When Rormic was in a state of panic, he could only rationalize one thought: he needed to get out.

There were now blood-covered blisters on Rormic's already sore wrists. Still, the wrists were not Rormic's only ailments. He was in bad shape all over. His voice was thick from disuse and his clothes were filthy. His hair was growing long and covered his eyes. Every muscle in his body was stiff and sore but the chains prevented him from moving to loosen them.

Rormic was trying to get comfortable when the door at the far side of the room opened. "Get on your feet," commanded a nameless guard.

Rormic struggled to rise but his legs were refusing to cooperate. The guard walked up and roughly pulled Rormic to his feet by his hair. Rormic still had to lean on the wall for support while the guard unhooked the chain from the wall. Once the chain was disconnected, the guard pulled Rormic foreword, using the chain to guide him like a leash.

Rormic tried not to cringe at the thought of being lead by a chain around his neck but the grimace was visible. The guard yanked on the chain as he walked quickly through the maze of halls. Rormic tried not to stumble and fall but each yank seemed to get hard and hard until finally, they had arrived at their destination.


	38. Chapter 38

"Number 745, up as a candidate for Kingston, come forward," called an old man sitting at the far table. The guard pushed Rormic forward until he stood in the middle of a circular room. The man who had spoken and eleven other men sat around the room's outer edge. Rormic felt all twelve pairs of eyes on him and he suddenly felt self-conscience.

"Number 745 has strong arms and foreign look," the man on the left-most chairs said. "The Kingston aristocrats will want him."

"I bet we can make just as much money selling him on Arthon," said a man on the right side of the first speaker's chair. "You know they always need strong workers. They will pay more for him and our travel fees will be less."

"The poorest aristocrat in Kingston will pay much more than even the richest in Arthon could," another man argued.

It took Rormic awhile to realize that they were talking about him. A few of the men were arguing for Arthon but most of the eleven council members thought Kingston would be best… After days in captivity and at least an hour of standing and listening to them argue, Rormic snapped.

"Stop talking about me like I am not here." A guard reached for Rormic but he pulled away. "I'm not going anywhere!" The guard had called other guards to him. It took three guards to gag an already bound Rormic.

"His mouth will not do in Arthon," the man who had first mentioned Arthon said.

"Kingston will be best," agreed another. Soon enough all the council had agreed that Kingston would be best.

"This meeting is adjourned. Return Number 745 to his room and make sure that he is ready for sale. I will make the travel accommodations and arrangements." With that, the man banged a gavel and Rormic was lead away.

Sakura did not know what to do – that was a lie. She knew exactly what to do! She knew that she needed to cooperate. The witch and her Master had Sakura exactly where they wanted her and they knew it. The Master said it himself – she would not risk something happening to Rormic.

She could not be sure that they were true to their word but she could not risk them following through with their threats either. Sakura did not want to risk hurting Rormic but she also knew that the Master would most likely hurt Rormic weather she did as he asked or not. Co-operating would only delay the inevitable. Sakura had seen the Master lie to Rormic a number of times to get to the portal. Sakura did not doubt that the Master would lie to her to get her to do what he wanted – just like he had lied to Rormic.

The real problem was that she did not know how to guarantee that he would not lie to her as well. There had to be a way to keep the Master from hurt Rormic or to guarantee that he could not kill Rormic once she had married the prince. She would have to negotiate…

Rormic assumed that he would be lead to the same room he was held in before but she quickly saw that he was going up a flight of stairs. Rormic tried to pull away but now three guards were attending to him. Rormic may have been able to pull away from one guard but not three. Rormic used every muscle in his body but the three men prevented him from moving an inch!

After three or four flights of stairs, the three guards forced Rormic to stand in front of a large door. One of the guards knocked on it in a series of long and short knocks while the other two held the still-struggling Rormic between them. The door opened and Rormic found himself in a large room filled with tables and the smell of food.

The guards pushed Rormic into a seat and set a bowl of portage in front of him. "Eat," one of them commanded. "We need you to be strong."

Rormic smelled the food suspiciously and did not take a bite. "You will eat this food one way or another," another guard threatened.

Rormic pushed the bowl away. The guards took action a millisecond later, forcing Rormic's mouth open while the other forced the food into his mouth. Rormic started to gag but the guard holding his mouth open quickly snapped it shut. Another guard held Rormic's nose. He would have to swallow when he ran out of air.

Rormic was sure that his instincts were right – there had to be something in this food to make them so insistent that he east it! Still, Rormic saw no way out of it. He swallowed. Nothing happened! The guards continued to shove the portage down Rormic's throat. It tasted bland and grainy. Rormic had not eaten in days. His body bagged for food but he was still suspicious of this food.

A wave of drowsiness hit Rormic like a ton of bricks after the bowl was about ¾ of the way empty. He tried to fight the hands that held him but his body was slow and listless. He felt the guards give him another spoonful but he knew no more after that.

Rormic was unconscious but the guards and the slave-traders seemed to move with inhuman energy. Two guards carried Rormic from the mess hall to an even bigger domed room. The room was full of people. There were three other muscled men unconscious on the floor beside where the guards dumped Rormic. there were at least twelve guards and all twelve council men, and there were three men in dark ropes – they were dark sorcerers.

"We can send these four and the 10 guards to Kingston for the arranged price. More people take more energy and more energy will cost you more money," one of the sorcerers said with a sneer.

"I'd watch the demands you make, sorcerer!" One of the councilmen screamed. "We could simply bring our business to one of your sorcerer competitors."

The sorcerer laughed. "Only dark sorcerers will risk tearing the dimensions for money. Sorcerers of light have no backbone. The odds of messing with space and time are so slim. I myself have brought travelers through the magic portals hundreds of times and nothing has ever gone wrong – that is why I am worth the extra gold: I take risks but I have experience to know what risks to take."

Several councilors nodded. "These men are worth the money. Pay half now and half when the guards come back with the gold." All the councilors were nodding now.

Having struck a deal, all the sorcerers began to chant. The four unconscious bodies did not know that they would soon travel across dimensions.


	39. Chapter 39

The Master had come into Sakura's room early during the next morning. He actually used the door to enter instead of his magic. "I hope that we have now come to an understanding," the Master said.

"I'll marry the prince but only on one condition."

"You don't want Rormic to be cured?" The Master asked with mild surprise.

"Giving Rormic the cure is not enough. I'll be stuck with the Prince for my whole life! I want you to heal Rormic and then lead my father to him."

The Master laughed. "Hattie and I are powerful but we are not miracle workers. I cannot guarantee that the two of them will find each other."

"You sent my father to a settlement. Send a message for him there. You can tell him that Rormic is hurt in the forest. Surely that's in your power."

"This is the only concession I will make," the Master growled to Sakura. "You write a letter to your father and I will send it to the town. Remember, Rormic is running out of time."

Sakura knew that she would have to do what the witch and Master had asked. Rormic had saved her before and now she had to save him. Hopefully, the presents of her father would guarantee that Rormic really would survive. Hopefully the Master would not try to do anything more sinister.

Sakura had not taken any chances. She had done exactly as the Master had asked. The witch had been set as Sakura's guardian. She followed Sakura everywhere and even slept in an adjoining room. Sakura had no privacy. Still, she tried to plan an escape. There had to be a way to keep Rormic safe and get out of her marriage.

Sakura had been to more boring functions than she wanted to count. She was even starting to miss Mr. Gavvy's class! Sakura had sat through political meetings, dances and feasts. She had thought that the party functions would be less stressful than political meetings but the parties were really more like big political meetings in disguise. Even though everyone dressed in fancy clothing and danced, they all had a political motives and discussions. Sakura had to think about everything she said and did even more at a ball!

Still, the worst part for Sakura was the time alone she was forced to endure with her fiancé. The prince was arrogant and had no desire to start a real relationship with Sakura. He saw her as a way to get a throne and that was all. Still, servants talked and the Master insisted that they keep up the appearance of a couple.

Prince Marcol could have just sat next to Sakura and stared into space – Sakura would have preferred that to what Marcol actually did. Marcol would call the servants to come into the parlor were they were sitting. Marcol would demand that the servants bring tea or food. About ten minutes after they brought the food, Marcol would call them back to say that his new bride needed things to be perfect. Sakura was sure that the servants hated them both.

Sakura hated this pretend life but she would not risk hurting Rormic. The witch would let Sakura see Rormic through the crystal ball every few days. He would look sicker and sicker each time.

"You won't let him die?" Sakura asked the witch one night as she looked into the ball.

The Master was the one who answered: "Rormic's health is up to you. If you don't think he can make it much longer, ask the Prince to move the date up."

Sakura could not breathe. In the Kingston culture, the woman made the wedding date. It was up to Sakura to choose a date. She could change the date at anytime but Rormic was running out of time…

Sakura did not know that the real Rormic was really in Kingston at that very moment. The sorcerers had sent the four unconscious men, one of whom was Rormic, through their magic portal and the guards as well.

The guards would bring the four men to the slave market, collect the money and leave back through the portal. The four men had no idea that they would soon be slaves. The jostling of the portal travel pushed Rormic from the chasm of unconsciousness. His eyes cracked open but she still could not move his body. Rormic could see and hear but that was about it.

He heard the guards talking. "These boys may not be able to fight like this but they are certainly heavy." Rormic felt the men lift him up and carry him. After a few swift turns the men just gripped Rormic. "How much do you think we'll get for these four?"

"Don't worry. The council knows what they are doing when they assign slaves here. We should get at least 16 gold pieces."

The guards went on to talk about what they would do with their share but Rormic was not listening. He was busy focusing on moving. He managed to wiggle fingers and toes but he could not get his hands or feet to move. Rormic was growing frustrated.

Frustration turned to panic when more sounds met his ears. He heard a crowd cheering and hissing. Rormic knew he was in a slave market. Salesmen yelled out prices and the air ringed after one salesmen or another called out "sold!"

Rormic knew that he could not risk being sold. For one thing, he did not want to be a slave. For another thing, Rormic still had to save Sakura. Rormic made a promise to Brad and he aimed to keep that promise. But before he could save Sakura, he had to save himself.

Rormic called on the warrior within him and tried to use all the strength and determination left within him. He managed to stand! Unfortunately, Rormic stood just in time to let the guards see him. Adrenaline surged through Rormic and gave him the energy to sprint away from the guards and into the crowd.

Rormic was still encumbered by the chains around his wrists and ankles. Rormic hoped to hide in the crowd but the crowd seemed to part around him Seeing the chains, people seemed to know that he did not belong in the crowd. The guards quickly chased after Rormic and he knew that hiding would not work.

Rormic's next plan was to use the many buildings in the area to his advantage. He climbed walls, ran on roofs and jumped over fences. The number of guards chasing Rormic was dwindling quickly. Rormic tried to make his path even more difficult on the guards. He dived in small windows and balanced on narrow ledges. After miles of traveling thus, Rormic turned around. Rormic's heart missed a beat in his chest. There were no longer any guards behind him!

Rormic ran across a courtyard and over a few walls. He saw a guard and flew the opposite direction, only to see another guard! Rormic ran the way he had come and saw a handful of men in red uniforms.

On Rormic's left and right, guards were coming. Uniformed men stood in front of Rormic and the sounds of boots could be heard behind Rormic. He stiffened and tried to run but the men in red uniforms gripped his clothes, hair and arms. He could not run away but he struggled in their grip. Finally one of the men hit him on the head. It was over.

"How much for him?" Asked the man who had knocked Rormic on the head.

"He is up for auction," the guard said with finality.

"I'll give you 20 gold pieces for him."

The guard's mouth dropped open but he nodded and held his hand out of the money.


	40. Chapter 40

Sakura had resigned herself to her fate. She would marry the Prince but she still did not like the idea of moving the wedding date up. Sakura wanted time to adjust to the idea of a loveless marriage, a life away from her family and the captivity that had been forced on her. It looked like Sakura would not even get that small pleasure. Nothing was in her control!

Finally, she knew that she would have to tell Prince Marcol that she needed the date to be moved up. She was surprised at his response.

"I am not sure we can move the date much sooner. You know we must follow protocol and protocol says that we must first announce our engagement with a ball. It has only been a few days since we have announced our engagement to the commoners."

"What is the soonest date we can have it then?"  
"Early next week would be the soonest. We can announce our proposal ball today, have the ball on Thursday, and sign with the Church on Friday and finished registration on Monday. We can be married on Tuesday."

"Then I want to be married on Tuesday," Sakura said with finality.

"Why are you suddenly in such a rush?"

Sakura looked at the Prince in surprise. "I thought the Master and the witch worked for you… They told me to move it up."

"Oh," Marcol said as if meaning suddenly dawned on him. "So, this is about the boy. They did mention something about that."

Sakura didn't know what to make of Marcol's reaction. She always assumed that he was one of the planners if this whole conspiracy but now he seemed like a clueless bystander. It seemed like Marcol was not even really part of the conspiracy. He was just part of the plan, like Sakura but unlike Sakura, Marcol joined the conspiracy voluntarily.

"The Master is in charge of all of this?" Sakura asked the Prince.

"I don't know who the real mastermind is but the Master is in charge of me. I do what he says and then I get to rule an entire kingdom!"

"You jump in without knowing anything?"

"I know more than you do. I've known more than you do now even when I first started!" With that, Marcol ran away in a huff, leaving Sakura alone for the first time in days.

Rormic slowly came to. The first thing he felt was a stabbing pain in his head. He groaned and tried to message his poor head. Rormic then saw that his hands were chained above his head on the wall he was leaning on. Rormic tried to look around him to see where he was but the chains constrained almost every part of his body and aloud for little movement.

Rormic could not help but jump in surprise when a rusted metal door creaked open. No light fell into the room but Rormic knew that someone was now in the room with him. He could hear footsteps.

"Glad to see that are still have some fight in you. I expect some spark and I payed enough to get it!" A deep voice that Rormic felt he should recognize yelled through the darkness and bounced off the walls.

"What do you mean? I can't do much to help you if I'm locked in here."

"You will have to stay in a confined area until you learn all the rules. This prison will work fine. My hope is that you will not be here long. I want you to work soon."

"What type of work do you want me to do?" Rormic asked the question but he was dreading the answer.

"You have shown spirit – something that is hard to come by in a slave –"

Rormic knew that he was a slave but he could not stop himself from speaking his mind. "You would find many more people with spirit if you would set the slaves free and keep the slave traders from breaking them!" Rormic mentally yelled at himself for speaking without thinking of the consequences.

"That is just the spirit I was talking about! You'll make a fine palace guard!"

"Palace guard? Why would a palace need a guard when it has draw bridges, walls and warriors?"

"Palace guards are much more than simple guards, as I am sure that you will soon learn. Palace guards serve the royal family their food, entertain dignitaries at parties and, of course, protect the royal family. The job requires a number of skills that most people just do not have. From what I have seen, you have these abilities."

"Then what rules do I have to learn? And why keep me in a prison to do it?"

"You do not think that guards would let an untrained, untested youth serve the royal family? For all we know, you could be a traitor or an assassin. You could be a spy sent to gather information. We could not let just anyone in."

"Keeping me in prison for a few days is supposed to stop me from being a spy? How does this keep the royal family safe?"

Instead of an answer, Rormic received a hard kick to the stomach. His chained hands prevented him from curling into a ball to protect himself. "Bring in the truth serum!" The man yelled. The door creaked open again and more men came stomping in. Rormic turned every which way to see what was going on but all he saw was darkness.

Rormic felt hands reach for him but he pulled away. The chains limited his movement but Rormic tugged his chin out of their grip each time. The men hiding in darkness would kick Rormic every time he pulled his chin out of their reach. After hours, Rormic stopped fighting. He hurt all over and the moment of freedom the stubbornness gave Rormic was not worth the pain.

One of the men who came in gripped his chin and forced his jaw open and poured foul smelling liquid down Rormic's throat. The truth serum, Rormic remembered. He cursed his own stupidity but it was too late. The inquisition was ready to begin.


End file.
